Neutralizing human anti-IGFR antibody

ABSTRACT

The present invention includes fully human, neutralizing, monoclonal antibodies against human Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-I (IGFR1). The antibodies are useful for treating or preventing cancer in a subject. Also included are methods of using and producing the antibodies of the invention.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/598,520, filed Nov. 13, 2006; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/443,466, filed May 22, 2003 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,796); which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/383,459, filed May 24, 2002; U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/393,214, filed Jul. 2, 2002 and U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/436,254, filed Dec. 23, 2002 each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fully human, monoclonal anti-Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-I (IGFR1) antibodies as well as methods of using the antibodies and methods of producing the antibodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The insulin-like growth factors, also known as somatomedins, include insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) (Klapper, et al., (1983) Endocrinol. 112:2215 and Rinderknecht, et al., (1978) Febs. Lett. 89:283). These growth factors exert mitogenic activity on various cell types, including tumor cells (Macaulay, (1992) Br. J. Cancer 65:311), by binding to a common receptor named the insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGFR1) (Sepp-Lorenzino, (1998) Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 47:235). Interaction of IGFs with IGFR1 activates the receptor by triggering autophosphorylation of the receptor on tyrosine residues (Butler, et al., (1998) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 121:19). Once activated, IGFR1, in turn, phosphorylates intracellular targets to activate cellular signaling pathways. This receptor activation is critical for stimulation of tumor cell growth and survival. Therefore, inhibition of IGFR1 activity represents a valuable potential method to treat or prevent growth of human cancers and other proliferative diseases.

Several lines of evidence indicate that IGF-I, IGF-II and their receptor IGFR1 are important mediators of the malignant phenotype. Plasma levels of IGF-I have been found to be the strongest predictor of prostate cancer risk (Chan, et al., (1998) Science 279:563) and similar epidemiological studies strongly link plasma IGF-I levels with breast, colon and lung cancer risk.

Overexpression of Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-I has also been demonstrated in several cancer cell lines and tumor tissues. IGFR1 is overexpressed in 40% of all breast cancer cell lines (Pandini, et al., (1999) Cancer Res. 5:1935) and in 15% of lung cancer cell lines. In breast cancer tumor tissue, IGFR1 is overexpressed 6-14 fold and IGFR1 exhibits 2-4 fold higher kinase activity as compared to normal tissue (Webster, et al., (1996) Cancer Res, 56:2781 and Pekonen, et al., (1998) Cancer Res. 48:1343). Ninety percent of colorectal cancer tissue biopsies exhibit elevated IGFR1 levels wherein the extent of IGFR1 expression is correlated with the severity of the disease. Analysis of primary cervical cancer cell cultures and cervical cancer cell lines revealed 3- and 5-fold overexpression of IGFR1, respectively, as compared to normal ectocervical cells (Steller, et al., (1996) Cancer Res. 56:1762). Expression of IGFR1 in synovial sarcoma cells also correlated with an aggressive phenotype (i.e., metastasis and high rate of proliferation; Xie, et al., (1999) Cancer Res. 59:3588).

Acromegaly, a slowly developing disease, is caused by hypersecretion of growth hormone and IGF-I (Ben-Schlomo, et al., (2001) Endocrin. Metab. Clin. North. Am. 30:565-583). Antagonism of IGFR1 function may be helpful in treating the disease.

There are several antibodies, which are known in the art, which inhibit the activity of IGFR1. However, these are of relatively low therapeutic value. For example, α-IR3 (Kull, et al., (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258:6561), 1H7 (Li et al., (1993) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 196.92-98 and Xiong et al., (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 89:5356-5360; Santa Cruz biotechnology, Inc.; Santa Cruz, Calif.) and MAB391 (R&D Systems; Minneapolis, Minn.) are mouse monoclonal antibodies which interact with IGFR1 and inhibit its activity. Since these are mouse antibodies, their therapeutic utility in humans is limited. When immunocompetent human subjects are administered a dose of mouse antibodies, the subjects produce antibodies against the mouse immunoglobulin sequences. These human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) neutralize the therapeutic antibodies and may induce acute toxicity (i.e., a HAMA response).

One method by which to avert a HAMA response is through the use of fully-human antibodies which lack any foreign (e.g., mouse) amino acid sequences.

Although the use of fully-human antibodies is an effective method by which to reduce or prevent human host immune rejection of the therapeutic antibody, rejection of the fully-human antibody can occur. Human rejection of human antibodies may be referred to as a human anti-human antibody response (HAHA response). HAHA response can be mediated by factors such as the presence of rare, low occurrence amino acid sequences in the fully-human antibodies. For this reason, therapeutic antibodies may also be optimized by the inclusion of non-immunogenic or only weakly immunogenic human antibody framework sequences. Preferably, the sequences occur frequently in other human antibodies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides fully human anti-human IGFR1 monoclonal antibodies which, preferably, will not induce a HAMA response or will not induce a HAHA response when administered to human subjects and which are useful for treating or preventing diseases which are mediated by IGFR1 (e.g., malignancy).

The present invention provides a binding composition (e.g., an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof) comprising a light chain, wherein the chain comprises the amino acid sequence of the light chain CDR-L1 defined by SEQ ID NO: 8 or 31, the amino acid sequence of the light chain CDR-L2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 9 or 32 and the amino acid sequence of the light chain CDR-L3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 10 or 33. Also provided is a binding composition (e.g., an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof) including a heavy chain, wherein the chain includes the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain CDR-H1 defined by SEQ ID NO: 14 or 37, the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain CDR-H2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 15 or 38 and the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain CDR-H3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 16 or 39.

Preferably, the binding composition (e.g., an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof) of the invention comprises a light chain variable region, preferably a mature light chain variable region, which includes amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2, amino acids 21-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25, amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 41 or 43 or amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 41, 43, 72, 74, 76 or 78 and/or a heavy chain variable region, preferably a mature heavy chain variable region, which includes amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4, amino acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27, amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 or amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112.

Pharmaceutical compositions comprising a binding composition of the present invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier are also provided by the present invention. The binding composition of the invention may also be conjugated to a substance such as polyethylene glycol.

The present invention also includes a binding composition (e.g., a human antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof) which specifically binds to human IGFR1 comprising a property selected from the group consisting of:

-   (a) binds to IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1) with a K_(d) of about     86×10⁻¹¹ or less; -   (b) Has an off rate (K_(off)) for IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1) of about     6.50×10⁻⁵ or smaller; -   (c) Has an on rate (K_(on)) for IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1) of about     0.7×10⁵ or greater; -   (d) Competes with IGF1 for binding to IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1); -   (e) Inhibits autophosphorylation (e.g., with an IC₅₀ of 0.10 nM) of     IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1); and -   (f) Inhibits anchorage-independent growth of a cell expressing IGFR1     (e.g., human IGFR1).     Preferably, the binding composition comprises all of said properties     (a-f). More preferably, the binding composition (e.g., a human     antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof) comprises a member     selected from: -   (a) a light chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-L1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 8, CDR-L2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 9 and CDR-L3 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 10; -   (b) a light chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-L1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 31, CDR-L2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 32 and CDR-L3 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 33; -   (c) a heavy chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-H1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 14 or SEQ ID NO: 17, CDR-H2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 15     and CDR-H3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 16; and -   (d) a heavy chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-H1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 37 or SEQ ID NO: 70, CDR-H2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 38     and CDR-H3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 39.

The present invention also includes an isolated nucleic acid encoding a peptide selected from:

-   (a) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2; -   (b) amino acids 21-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25; -   (c) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 72; -   (d) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 74; -   (a) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4; -   (b) amino acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27; -   (c) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; -   (d) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112; -   (e) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 76; and -   (f) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78.

Preferably, the nucleic acid is selected from:

-   (a) nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 1; -   (b) nucleotides 61-390 of SEQ ID NO: 24; -   (c) nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 71; -   (d) nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 73. -   (e) nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO: 3; -   (f) nucleotides 58-420 of SEQ ID NO: 26; -   (g) nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO: 44; -   (h) nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO: 111; -   (i) nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 75; and -   (j) nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 77.

The present invention also provides a recombinant vector comprising any of the foregoing polynucleotides along with a host cell comprising the vector.

The present invention also comprises a polypeptide selected from:

-   (a) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2; -   (b) amino acids 21-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25; -   (c) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 72; -   (d) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 74; -   (e) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4; -   (f) amino acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27; -   (g) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; -   (h) amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112; -   (i) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 76; and -   (j) amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78.

Preferably, the binding composition of the present invention is a human antibody comprising at least one (e.g., 1 or 2) light chain/heavy chain combination selected from:

-   a) a light chain variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of     SEQ ID NO: 2 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino     acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4; [15H12/19D12 mature LC-15H12/19D12     mature HC] -   b) a light chain variable region comprising amino acids 21-130 of     SEQ ID NO: 25 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino     acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27; [1H3 mature LC-1H3 mature HC] -   c) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 72 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45: [mature LCC-mature HCA] -   d) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 74 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; [mature LCD-mature HCA] -   e) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 76 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; [mature LCE-mature HCA] -   f) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 78 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; [mature LCF-mature HCA] -   g) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 72 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112; [mature LCC-mature HCB] -   h) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 74 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112; [mature LCD-mature HCB] -   i) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 76 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112; [mature LCE-mature HCB] and -   j) a light variable region comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID     NO: 78 and a heavy chain variable region comprising amino acids     20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112. [mature LCF-mature HCB].     More preferably, the human antibody is a tetramer comprising two of     the foregoing light heavy chain pairs. Preferably, the human     antibody includes mature LCF paired with mature HCA or mature HCB.

Also provided is a method for making a polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2, amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4, amino acids 21-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25, amino acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27, amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO; 41, 43, 72, 74, 76 or 78, amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 or amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 112 comprising culturing the host cell under conditions in which the polypeptide is produced. Preferably, the polypeptide is also isolated from the host cell.

The invention also provides a method for treating or preventing a medical condition in a subject which is mediated by elevated expression or activity of Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-1 or by elevated expression of one or more of its ligands (e.g., IGF-I or IGF-II) comprising administering a binding composition of the invention (e.g., antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention) to the subject. Preferably, the binding composition comprises a member selected from:

-   (a) a light chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-L1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 8, CDR-L2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 9 and CDR-L3 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 10; -   (b) a light chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-L1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 31, CDR-L2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 32 and CDR-L3 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 33; -   (c) a heavy chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-H1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 14 or SEQ ID NO: 17, CDR-H2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 15     and CDR-H3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 16; and -   (d) a heavy chain amino acid sequence which comprises CDR-H1 defined     by SEQ ID NO: 37 or SEQ ID NO: 70, CDR-H2 defined by SEQ ID NO: 38     and CDR-H3 defined by SEQ ID NO: 39.

The present invention includes any plasmid selected Tom the group consisting of:

-   (i) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCA (γ4)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCA (γ4)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5214;

-   (ii) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCB (γ4)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCB (γ4)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5215;

-   (iii) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCA (γ1)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCA (γ1)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5216;

-   (iv) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCC (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCC (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5217;

-   (v) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCD (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCD (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5218;

-   (vi) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCE (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCE (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5219; and

-   (vii) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCF (κ).

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCF (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5220;

as well as the nucleic acid inserts of any of the foregoing plasmids. Also included are the nucleic acid portions of the inserts encoding the immunoglobulin variable regions included in the plasmid inserts optionally including the immunoglobulin constant region (i.e., excluding the signal sequence). Also included are any polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acids of any of the foregoing plasmid inserts as well as polypeptides encoding the immunoglobulin variable regions included in any insert optionally including the immunoglobulin constant region (i.e., excluding the signal sequence).

The above-identified plasmids were deposited, under the Budapest Treaty, on May 21, 2003 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC); 10801 University Boulevard; Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. All restrictions on access to the plasmids deposited in ATCC have been removed.

Preferably, the binding composition is combined with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in a pharmaceutical composition. Such medical conditions, as contemplated by the present invention, include acromegaly, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, bone cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, synovial sarcoma, diarrhea associated with metastatic carcinoid, vasoactive intestinal peptide secreting tumors, gigantism, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, smooth muscle restenosis of blood vessels and inappropriate microvascular proliferation.

The binding compositions may be administered to a subject, for example, by a parenteral route. Combination therapies comprising administration of a binding composition of the present invention in association with an anti-cancer therapy agent or in association with an anti-cancer therapeutic procedure are also provided.

A method for producing a fully-human anti-IGFR1 antibody which comprises the steps of immunizing a transgenic non-human animal having a genome comprising a human heavy chain transgene and a human light chain transgene with IGFR1 antigenic polypeptide, preferably amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19 and/or a cell (e.g., HEK293) which expresses IGFR1 on its surface, such that antibodies are produced by B cells of the animal; isolating B cells of the animal; fusing the B cells with myeloma cells to form immortal, hybridoma cells that secrete human monoclonal antibodies specific for IGFR1; and isolating the human monoclonal antibodies specific for IGFR1 is also provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention include a fully human, monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof which specifically recognizes and binds to Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-I, preferably amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19. Preferably, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is 1H3, 15H12, 19D12, 15H12/19D12 LCA, 15H12/19D12 LCB, 15H12/19D12 LCC, 15H12/19D12 LCD, 15H12/19D12 LCE, 15H12/19D12 LCF, 15H12/19D12 HCA or 15H12/19D12 HCB.

A binding composition or agent refers to a molecule that binds with specificity to IGFR1, e.g., in a ligand-receptor type fashion or an antibody-antigen interaction, e.g., proteins which specifically associate with IGFR1, e.g., in a natural physiologically relevant protein-protein interaction, either covalent or non-covalent. The term “binding composition” is preferably a polypeptide, such as a full antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of the present invention (e.g., 15H12/19D12 LCA, 15H12/19D12 LCB, 15H12/19D12 LCC, 15H12/19D12 LCD, 15H12/19D12 LCE, 15H12/19D12 LCF, 15H12/19D12 HCA OR 15H12/19D12 HCB or any peptide set forth, below, in Table 1).

The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention may be used to inhibit growth of cells, preferably malignant cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Without being bound by a single theory, the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention may inhibit cellular growth by inhibiting the interaction between IGFR1 and a ligand for the receptor, such as Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) or Insulin-like Growth Factor-II (IGF-II). The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments may also inhibit IGFR1 autophosphorylation, inhibit anchorage-independent growth of cells (e.g., cancer cells) expressing IGFR1 and inhibit activation of AKT kinase by inducing degradation of IGFR1. Preferably, the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments neutralize the activity of IGFR1 and/or down-regulate IGFR1. The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments may be used to treat or prevent diseases which are mediated by IGFR1. The present invention also provides methods for making the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention.

The term “antibody molecule” refers to whole antibodies (e.g., IgG, preferably, IgG1 or IgG4) and fragments, preferably antigen-binding fragments, thereof. Antibody fragments include Fab antibody fragments, F(ab)₂ antibody fragments, Fv antibody fragments, single chain Fv antibody fragments and dsFv antibody fragments.

The terms “IGFR1” “Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor-I” and “Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor, type I” are well known in the art. Although IGFR1 may be from any organism, it is preferably from an animal, more preferably from a mammal (e.g., mouse, rat, rabbit, sheep or dog) and most preferably from a human. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence of a typical human IGFR1 precursor has the Genbank Accession No. X04434 or NM_(—)000875 (SEQ ID NO: 19). Cleavage of the precursor (e.g., between amino acids 710 and 711) produces an α-subunit and a β-subunit which associate to form a mature receptor. In preferred embodiments of the invention, amino acids 30-902, from the full length IGFR1 polypeptide are used as an antigen for generation of anti-IGFR1 antibodies.

The terms “IGF-I” “Insulin-like Growth Factor-I” and “Insulin-like Growth Factor, type I” are also well known in the art. The terms “IGF-II” “Insulin-like Growth Factor-II” and “Insulin-like Growth Factor, type II” are also well known in the art. Although IGF-I or IGF-II may be from any organism, they are preferably from an animal, more preferably from a mammal (e.g., mouse, rat, rabbit, sheep or dog) and most preferably from a human. The nucleic acid and amino acid sequence of typical, human IGF-I and IGF-II have the Genbank Accession No. XM-052648 (SEQ ID NO: 20) and NM_(—)000612 (SEQ ID NO: 21), respectively. The term “sIGFR1” or “soluble IGFR1” includes any soluble fragment of IGFR1 (e.g., human IGFR1), preferably a fragment from which the receptor trans-membrane region has been deleted, more preferably amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19.

The amino acid sequence of the variable region of preferred, fully human, monoclonal anti-IGFR1 antibody molecules of the invention (e.g., 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12) along with the nucleotide sequences of nucleic acids which encode the regions are summarized in Table 1. The present invention includes any nucleic acid or polypeptide (e.g., antibody) which comprises one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8) of any of the nucleic acids or polypeptides (including mature fragments thereof) set forth, below, in Table 1. Table 1 also includes a summary of the amino acid and nucleotide sequences which correspond to the CDR regions of the antibodies. The amino acid and nucleotide sequences corresponding to the variable region of 15H12 and 19D12 are identical; for this reason, only a single sequence for each variable region or CDR is shown.

TABLE 1 Summary of amino acid and nucleotide sequences of the invention. SEQUENCE SEQUENCE IDENTIFIER Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 1 the 15H12 and 19D12 light chain variable region-including signal peptide (15H12/19D12 LC) Amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 the 15H12 and 19D12 light chain variable region-including signal peptide Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 3 the 15H12 and 19D12 heavy chain variable region including signal peptide (15H12/19D12 HC) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 4 15H12 and 19D12 heavy chain variable region including signal peptide Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 5 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 6 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 7 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 8 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 9 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 10 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-L3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 11 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 12 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 13 the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 14 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 15 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 16 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H3 Amino acid sequence of an SEQ ID NO: 17 alternative 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 18 an alternative 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H1 Amino acid sequence of Insulin- SEQ ID NO: 19 like Growth Factor Receptor-I (IGFR1) Amino acid sequence of Insulin- SEQ ID NO: 20 like Growth Factor-I (IGF1) Amino acid sequence of Insulin- SEQ ID NO: 21 like Growth Factor-II (IGF2) Nucleotide sequence of PCR SEQ ID NO: 22 primer Nucleotide sequence of PCR SEQ ID NO: 23 primer Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 24 the 1H3 light chain variable region-including signal peptide (1H3 LC) Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 25 light chain variable region- including signal peptide Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 26 the 1H3 heavy chain variable region including signal peptide (1H3 HC) Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 27 heavy chain variable region including signal peptide Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 28 the 1H3 CDR-L1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 29 the 1H3 CDR-L2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 30 the IH3 CDR-L3 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 31 CDR-L1 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 32 CDR-L2 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 33 CDR-L3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 34 the 1H3 CDR-H1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 35 the 1H3 CDR-H2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 36 the 1H3 CDR-H3 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 37 CDR-H1 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 38 CDR-H2 Amino acid sequence of the 1H3 SEQ ID NO: 39 CDR-H3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 40 the 15H12/19D12 light chain A (LCA) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 41 15H12/19D12 light chain A Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 42 the 15H12/19D12 light chain B (LCB) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 43 15H12/19D12 light chain B Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 44 the 15R12/19D12 heavy chain A (HCA) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 45 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 46 the 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 47 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 48 the 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 49 15H12/19D12 tight chain A framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 50 the 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 51 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 52 the 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 53 15H12/19D12 light chain A framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 54 the 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 55 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 56 the 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 57 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 58 the 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 59 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 60 the 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 61 15H12/19D12 light chain B framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 62 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 63 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 64 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 65 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 66 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 67 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 68 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 69 15H12/19D12 heavy chain A framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 70 alternative 1H3 CDR-H1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 71 the 15H12/19D12 light chain C (LCC) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 72 15H12/19D12 light chain C Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 73 the 15H12/19D12 light chain D (LCD) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 74 15H12/19D12 light chain D Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 75 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E (LCE) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 76 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 77 the 15H12/19D12 light chain F (LCF) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 78 15H12/19D12 light chain F Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 79 the 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 80 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 81 the 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 82 15H12/19d12 light chain C framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 83 the 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 84 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 85 the 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 86 15H12/19D12 light chain C framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 87 the 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 88 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 89 the 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 90 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 91 the 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 92 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 93 the 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 94 15H12/19D12 light chain D framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 95 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 96 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 97 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 98 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 99 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 100 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 101 the 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 102 15H12/19D12 light chain E framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 103 the 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 104 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 105 the 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 106 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 107 the 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 108 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 109 the 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 110 15H12/19D12 light chain F framework region 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 111 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B (HCB) Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 112 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 113 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 1 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 114 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 1 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 115 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 2 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 116 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 2 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 117 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 3 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 118 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 3 Nucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO: 119 the 15H12/19D12 heavy chain framework region 4 Amino acid sequence of the SEQ ID NO: 120 15H12/19D12 heavy chain B framework region 4

CDR-L1 is the first complementarity determining region (CDR) which occurs in the light chain, CDR-L2 is the second CDR which occurs on the light chain and CDR-L3 is the third CDR which occurs on the light chain.

Similarly, CDR-H1 is the first CDR which occurs on the heavy chain, CDR-H2 is the second CDR which occurs on the heavy chain and CDR-H3 is the third CDR which occurs on the heavy chain.

FR-L1 is the first framework region of the light chain, FR-L2 is the second framework region of the light chain, FR-L3 is the third framework region of the light chain, FR-L4 is the fourth framework region on the light chain, FR-H1 is the first framework region of the heavy chain, FR-H2 is the second framework region of the heavy chain, FR-H3 is the third framework region of the heavy chain and FR-H4 is the fourth framework region of the heavy chain. These terms and the arrangement of CDRs and FRs on an immunoglobulin chain are well known in the art.

A mature light chain variable region of the invention, which lacks the signal peptide (i.e., first 19 or 20 residues), is amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2, 41, 43, 72, 74, 76 or 78 which is encoded by nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 1, 40, 42, 71, 73, 75, or 77 or amino acids 21-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25 which is encoded by nucleotides 61-390 of SEQ ID NO: 24.

A mature heavy chain variable region, which lacks the signal peptide (i.e., first 19 residues), is amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4, 45 or 112 which is encoded by nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO, 3, 44 or 111 or amino acids 20-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27 which is encoded by nucleotides 58-420 of SEQ ID NO: 26.

In some embodiments the 15H12 and 19D12 CDR-H1 is GFTFSSFAMH (SEQ ID NO: 17) which is encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18. In some embodiments the 1H3 CDR-H1 is NYAMH (SEQ ID NO: 70).

The present invention also includes antibodies and antigen-binding fragments which include the framework regions of the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention. Preferably, FR-L1 is amino acids 20-42 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or amino acids 21-43 of SEQ ID NO: 25; FR-L2 is amino acids 54-68 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or amino acids 55-69 of SEQ ID NO: 25; FR-L3 is amino acids 76-107 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or amino acids 77-108 of SEQ ID NO: 25; FR-L4 is amino acids 117-128 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or amino acids 128-130 of SEQ ID NO: 25; FR-H1 is amino acids 20-44 or 20-49 of SEQ ID NO: 4 or amino acids 20-44 or 20-49 of SEQ ID NO: 27; FR-H2 is amino acids 55-68 of SEQ ID NO: 4 or amino acids 55-68 of SEQ ID NO: 27; FR-H3 is amino acids 85-116 of SEQ ID NO: 4 or amino acids 85-116 of SEQ ID NO: 27 and FR-H4 is amino acids 127-137 of SEQ ID NO: 4 or amino acids 130-140 of SEQ ID NO: 27.

In preferred embodiments, the antibody molecules of the present invention include FR-L1 defined by amino acids 20-42 of SEQ ID NO: 41 or 43; FR-L2 defined by amino acids 54-68 of SEQ ID NO: 41 or 43; FR-L3 defined by amino acids 76-107 of SEQ ID NO: 41 or 43; and FR-L4 defined by amino acids 117-128 of SEQ ID NO: 41 or 43. Furthermore, preferred embodiments include antibody molecules including FR-H1 defined by amino acids 20-44 of SEQ ID NO: 45; FR-H2 defined by amino acids 55-68 of SEQ ID NO: 45; FR-H3 defined by amino acids 85-116 of SEQ ID NO: 45; and FR-H4 defined by amino acids 127-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45.

Molecular Biology

In accordance with the present invention there may be employed conventional molecular biology, microbiology, and recombinant DNA techniques within the skill of the art. Such techniques are explained fully in the literature. See, e.g., Sambrook, Fritsch & Maniatis, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition (1989) Gold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (herein “Sambrook, et al., 1989”); DNA Cloning: A Practical Approach, Volumes I and II (D. N. Glover ed. 1985); Oligonucleotide Synthesis (M. J. Gait ed. 1984); Nucleic Acid Hybridization (B. D. Hames & S. J. Higgins eds. (1985)); Transcription And Translation (B. D. Hames & S. J. Higgins, eds. (1984)); Animal Cell Culture (R. I. Freshney, ed. (1986)); Immobilized Cells And Enzymes (IRL Press, (1986)); B. Perbal, A Practical Guide To Molecular Cloning (1984); F. M. Ausubel, et al. (eds.), Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1994).

A “polynucleotide”, “nucleic acid” or “nucleic acid molecule” may refer to the phosphate ester polymeric form of ribonucleosides (adenosine, guanosine, uridine or cytidine; “RNA molecules”) or deoxyribonucleosides (deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxythymidine, or deoxycytidine; “DNA molecules”), or any phosphoester analogs thereof, such as phosphorothioates and thioesters, in single stranded form, double-stranded form or otherwise.

A “polynucleotide sequence”, “nucleic acid sequence” or “nucleotide sequence” is a series of nucleotide bases (also called “nucleotides”) in a nucleic acid, such as DNA or RNA, and means any chain of two or more nucleotides.

A “coding sequence” or a sequence “encoding” an expression product, such as a RNA, polypeptide, protein, or enzyme, is a nucleotide sequence that, when expressed, results in production of the product.

The term “gene” means a DNA sequence that codes for or corresponds to a particular sequence of ribonucleotides or amino acids which comprise all or part of one or more RNA molecules, proteins or enzymes, and may or may not include regulatory DNA sequences, such as promoter sequences, which determine, for example, the conditions under which the gene is expressed. Genes may be transcribed from DNA to RNA which may or may not be translated into an amino acid sequence.

“Amplification” of DNA as used herein may denote the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to increase the concentration of a particular DNA sequence within a mixture of DNA sequences. For a description of PCR see Saiki, et al., Science (1988) 239: 487. In a specific embodiment, the present invention includes a nucleic acid, which encodes an anti-IGFR1 antibody, an anti-IGFR1 antibody heavy or light chain, an anti-IGFR1 antibody heavy or light chain variable region, an anti-IGFR1 antibody heavy or light chain constant region or anti-IGFR1 antibody CDR (e.g., CDR-L1, CDR-L2, CDR-L3, CDR-H1, CDR-H2 or CDR-H3) which can be amplified by PCR.

As used herein, the term “oligonucleotide” refers to a nucleic acid, generally of at least 10 (e.g., 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14), preferably at least 15 (e.g., 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19), and more preferably at least 20 nucleotides (e.g., 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30), preferably no more than 100 nucleotides (e.g., 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90), that may be hybridizable to a genomic DNA molecule, a cDNA molecule, or an mRNA molecule encoding a gene, mRNA, cDNA, or other nucleic acid of interest. Oligonucleotides can be labeled, e.g., by incorporation of ³²P-nucleotides, ³H-nucleotides, ¹⁴C-nucleotides, ³⁵S-nucleotides or nucleotides to which a label, such as biotin, has been covalently conjugated. In one embodiment, a labeled oligonucleotide can be used as a probe to detect the presence of a nucleic acid. In another embodiment, oligonucleotides (one or both of which may be labeled) can be used as PCR primers, either for cloning full length or a fragment of the gene, or to detect the presence of nucleic acids. Generally, oligonucleotides are prepared synthetically, preferably on a nucleic acid synthesizer.

The sequence of any nucleic acid (e.g., a nucleic acid encoding an IGFR1 gene or a nucleic acid encoding an anti-IGFR1 antibody or a fragment or portion thereof) may be sequenced by any method known in the art (e.g., chemical sequencing or enzymatic sequencing). “Chemical sequencing” of DNA may denote methods such as that of Maxam and Gilbert (1977) (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74:560), in which DNA is randomly cleaved using individual base-specific reactions. “Enzymatic sequencing” of DNA may denote methods such as that of Sanger (Sanger, et al., (1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74:5463).

The nucleic acids herein may be flanked by natural regulatory (expression control) sequences, or may be associated with heterologous sequences, including promoters, internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) and other ribosome binding site sequences, enhancers, response elements, suppressors, signal sequences, polyadenylation sequences, introns, 5′- and 3′-non-coding regions, and the like.

A “promoter” or “promoter sequence.” is a DNA regulatory region capable of binding an RNA polymerase in a cell (e.g., directly or through other promoter-bound proteins or substances) and initiating transcription of a coding sequence. A promoter sequence is, in general, bounded at its 3′ terminus by the transcription initiation site and extends upstream (5′ direction) to include the minimum number of bases or elements necessary to initiate transcription at any level. Within the promoter sequence may be found a transcription initiation site (conveniently defined, for example, by mapping with nuclease S1), as well as protein binding domains (consensus sequences) responsible for the binding of RNA polymerase. The promoter may be operably associated with other expression control sequences, including enhancer and repressor sequences or with a nucleic acid of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 1, 3, 5-7, 11-13, 18, 22-24, 26, 28-30 or 34-36). Promoters which may be used to control gene expression include, but are not limited to, cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,385,839 and 5,168,062), the SV40 early promoter region (Benoist, et al., (1981) Nature 290:304-310), the promoter contained in the 3′ long terminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus (Yamamoto, et al., (1980) Cell 22:787-797), the herpes thymidine kinase promoter (Wagner, et al., (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:1441-1445), the regulatory sequences of the metallothionein gene (Brinster, et al., (1982) Nature 296:39-42); prokaryotic expression vectors such as the p-lactamase promoter (Villa-Komaroff, et al., (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:3727-3731), or the tac promoter (DeBoer, at., (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:21-25); see also “Useful proteins from recombinant bacteria” in Scientific American (1980) 242:74-94; and promoter elements from yeast or other fungi such as the Gal 4 promoter, the ADC (alcohol dehydrogenase) promoter, PGK (phosphoglycerol kinase) promoter or the alkaline phosphatase promoter.

A coding sequence is “under the control of”, “functionally associated with” or “operably associated with” transcriptional and translational control sequences in a cell when the sequences direct RNA polymerase mediated transcription of the coding sequence into RNA, preferably mRNA, which then may be trans-RNA spliced (if it contains introns) and, optionally, translated into a protein encoded by the coding sequence.

The terms “express” and “expression” mean allowing or causing the information in a gene, RNA or DNA sequence to become manifest; for example, producing a protein by activating the cellular functions involved in transcription and translation of a corresponding gene. A DNA sequence is expressed in or by a cell to form an “expression product” such as an RNA (e.g., mRNA) or a protein (e.g., antibody 1H3, 15H12 or 19D12 or a fragment thereof). The expression product itself may also be said to be “expressed” by the cell.

The terms “vector”, “cloning vector” and “expression vector” mean the vehicle (e.g., a plasmid) by which a DNA or RNA sequence can be introduced into a host cell, so as to transform the host and, optionally, promote expression and/or replication of the introduced sequence.

The term “transfection” or “transformation” means the introduction of a nucleic acid into a cell. These terms may refer to the introduction of a nucleic acid encoding an anti-IGFR1 antibody or fragment thereof into a cell. The introduced gene or sequence may be called a “clone”. A host cell that receives the introduced DNA or RNA has been “transformed” and is a “transformant” or a “clone”. The DNA or RNA introduced to a host cell can come from any source, including cells of the same genus or species as the host cell, or cells of a different genus or species.

The term “host cell” means any cell of any organism that is selected, modified, transfected, transformed, grown, or used or manipulated in any way, for the production of a substance by the cell, for example the expression or replication, by the cell, of a gene, a DNA or RNA sequence, a protein or an enzyme.

The term “expression system” means a host cell and compatible vector which, under suitable conditions, can express a protein or nucleic acid which is carried by the vector and introduced to the host cell. Common expression systems include E. coli host cells and plasmid vectors, insect host cells and Baculovirus vectors, and mammalian host cells and vectors. In a specific embodiment, IGFR1 or an antibody and antigen-binding fragment of the invention may be expressed in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). Other suitable cells include CHO (chinese hamster ovary) cells, HeLa cells and NIH 3T3 cells and NSO cells (non-Ig-producing murine myeloma cell line). Nucleic acids encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention, sIGFR1 or IGFR1 may be expressed at high levels in an E. coli/T7 expression system as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,952,496, 5,693,489 and 5,869,320 and in Davanloo, P., et al., (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81, 2035-2039; Studier, F. W., et al., (1986) J. Mot. Biol. 189: 113-130; Rosenberg, A. H., et al., (1987) Gene 56: 125-135; and Dunn, J. J., et al., (1988) Gene 68-259 which are herein incorporated by reference.

The present invention contemplates any superficial or slight modification to the amino acid or nucleotide sequences which correspond to the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention. In particular, the present invention contemplates sequence conservative variants of the nucleic acids which encode the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention. “Sequence-conservative variants” of a polynucleotide sequence are those in which a change of one or more nucleotides in a given codon results in no alteration in the amino acid encoded at that position. Function-conservative variants of the antibodies of the invention are also contemplated by the present invention. “Function-conservative variants” are those in which one or more amino acid residues in a protein or enzyme have been changed without altering the overall conformation and function of the polypeptide, including, but, by no means, limited to, replacement of an amino acid with one having similar properties. Amino acids with similar properties are well known in the art. For example, polar/hydrophilic amino acids which may be interchangeable include asparagine, glutamine, serine, cysteine, threonine, lysine, arginine, histidine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid; nonpolar/hydrophobic amino acids which may be interchangeable include glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and methionine; acidic amino acids which may be interchangeable include aspartic acid and glutamic acid and basic amino acids which may be interchangeable include histidine, lysine and arginine.

The present invention includes anti-IGFR1 antibodies and fragments thereof which are encoded by nucleic acids as described in Table 1 as well as nucleic acids which hybridize thereto. Preferably, the nucleic acids hybridize under low stringency conditions, more preferably under moderate stringency conditions and most preferably under high stringency conditions and, preferably, exhibit IGFR1 binding activity. A nucleic acid molecule is “hybridizable” to another nucleic acid molecule, such as a cDNA, genomic DNA, or RNA, when a single stranded form of the nucleic acid molecule can anneal to the other nucleic acid molecule under the appropriate conditions of temperature and solution ionic strength (see Sambrook, et al., supra). The conditions of temperature and ionic strength determine the “stringency” of the hybridization. Typical low stringency hybridization conditions may be 55° C., 5×SSC, 0.1% SDS, 0.25% milk, and no formamide; or 30% formamide, 5×SSC, 0.5% SDS. Typical, moderate stringency hybridization conditions are similar to the low stringency conditions except the hybridization is carried out in 40% formamide, with 5× or 6×SSC. High stringency hybridization conditions are similar to low stringency conditions except the hybridization conditions are carried out in 50% formamide, 5× or 6×SSC and, optionally, at a higher temperature (e.g., 57° C., 59° C., 60° C., 62° C., 63° C., 65° C. or 68° C.). In general, SSC is 0.15M NaC1 and 0.015M Na-citrate. Hybridization requires that the two nucleic acids contain complementary sequences, although, depending on the stringency of the hybridization, mismatches between bases are possible. The appropriate stringency for hybridizing nucleic acids depends on the length of the nucleic acids and the degree of complementation, variables well known in the art. The greater the degree of similarity or homology between two nucleotide sequences, the higher the stringency under which the nucleic acids may hybridize. For hybrids of greater than 100 nucleotides in length, equations for calculating the melting temperature have been derived (see Sambrook, et al., supra, 9.50-9.51). For hybridization with shorter nucleic acids, i.e., oligonucleotides, the position of mismatches becomes more important, and the length of the oligonucleotide determines its specificity (see Sambrook, et al., supra 11.7-11.8).

Also included in the present invention are nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences and polypeptides comprising amino acid sequences which are at least about 70% identical, preferably at least about 80% identical, more preferably at least about 90% identical and most preferably at least about 95% identical (e.g., 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 100%) to the reference nucleotide and amino acid sequences of Table 1 when the comparison is performed by a BLAST algorithm wherein the parameters of the algorithm are selected to give the largest match between the respective sequences over the entire length of the respective reference sequences. Polypeptides comprising amino acid sequences which are at least about 70% similar, preferably at least about 80% similar, more preferably at least about 90% similar and most preferably at least about 95% similar (e.g., 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 100%) to the reference amino acid sequences of Table 1 (e.g., SEQ ID NOs. 2 (e.g., amino acids 20-128), 4 (e.g., amino acids 20-137), 8-10, 14-16, 17, 25 (e.g., amino acids 21-130), 27 (e.g., amino acids 20-140), 31-33 or 37-39) when the comparison is performed with a BLAST algorithm wherein the parameters of the algorithm are selected to give the largest match between the respective sequences over the entire length of the respective reference sequences, are also included in the present invention.

Sequence identity refers to exact matches between the nucleotides or amino acids of two sequences which are being compared. Sequence similarity refers to both exact matches between the amino acids of two polypeptides which are being compared in addition to matches between nonidentical, biochemically related amino acids. Biochemically related amino acids which share similar properties and may be interchangeable are discussed above.

The following references regarding the BLAST algorithm are herein incorporated by reference: BLAST ALGORITHMS: Altschul, S. F., et al. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410; Gish, W., et al., (1993) Nature Genet. 3:266-272; Madden, T. L., et al., (1996) Meth. Enzymol. 266:131-141; Altschul, S. F., et al. (1997) Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402; Zhang, J., et al., (1997) Genome Res. 7:649-656; Wootton, JOC., et al., (1993) Comput. Chem. 17:149-163; Hancock, J. M. et al., (1994) Comput. Appl. Biosci. 10:67-70; ALIGNMENT SCORING SYSTEMS: Dayhoff, M. O., et al., “A model of evolutionary change in proteins.” in Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, (1978) vol. 5, suppl. 3. M. O. Dayhoff (ed.), pp. 345-352, Natl. Biomed. Res. Found., Washington, D.C.; Schwartz, R. M., et al., “Matrices for detecting distant relationships.” in Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, (1978) vol. 5, suppl. 3.” M. O. Dayhoff (ed.), pp. 353-358, Natl Biomed. Res. Found., Washington, D.C.; Altschul, S. F., (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 219:555-565; States, D. J., et al., (1991) Methods 3:66-70; Henikoff, S., et al., (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915-10919; Altschul, S. F., et al., (1993) J. Mol. Evol. 36:290-300; ALIGNMENT STATISTICS: Karlin, S., et al., (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:2264-2268; Karlin, S., et al., (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-5877; Dembo, A., et al., (1994) Ann. Prob. 22:2022-2039; and Altschul, S. F. “Evaluating the statistical significance of multiple distinct local alignments.” in Theoretical and Computational Methods in Genome Research (S. Suhai, ed.), (1997) pp. 1-14, Plenum, New York.

Antibody Structure

In general, the basic antibody structural unit is known to comprise a tetramer. Each tetramer includes two identical pairs of polypeptide chains, each pair having one “light” (about 25 kDa) and one “heavy” chain (about 50-70 kDa). The amino-terminal portion of each chain may include a variable region of about 100 to 110 or more amino acids primarily responsible for antigen recognition. The carboxyterminal portion of each chain may define a constant region primarily responsible for effector function. Typically, human light chains are classified as kappa and lambda light chains. Furthermore, human heavy chains are typically classified as mu, delta, gamma, alpha, or epsilon, and define the antibody's isotype as IgM, IgD, IgG, IgA, and IgE, respectively. Within light and heavy chains, the variable and constant regions are joined by a “J” region of about 12 or more amino acids, with the heavy chain also including a “D” region of about 10 more amino acids. See generally, Fundamental Immunology Ch. 7 (Paul, W., ed., 2nd ed. Raven Press, N.Y. (1989)) (incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes).

The variable regions of each light/heavy chain pair may form the antibody binding site. Thus, in general, an intact IgG antibody has two binding sites. Except in bifunctional or bispecific antibodies, the two binding sites are, in general, the same.

Normally, the chains all exhibit the same general structure of relatively conserved framework regions (FR) joined by three hypervariable regions, also called complementarity determining regions or CDRs. The CDRs from the two chains of each pair are usually aligned by the framework regions, enabling binding to a specific epitope. In general, from N-terminal to C-terminal, both light and heavy chains comprise the domains FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3, CDR3 and FR4. The assignment of amino acids to each domain is, generally, in accordance with the definitions of Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, Kabat, et al.; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.; 5^(th) ed.; NIH Publ. No. 91-3242 (1991); Kabat (1978) Adv. Prot. Chem. 32:1-75; Kabat, et al., (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252:6609-6616; Chothia, et al., (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 196:901-917 or Chothia, et al., (1989) Nature 342:878-883. The present invention provides antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention comprising CDRs and FRs from the light and heavy chains of 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 (e.g., 15H12/19D12 LCA, 15H12/19D12 LCB, 15H12/19D12 HCA, SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 25, 27, 41, 43 and 45) as defined by Kabat and Chothia (see above references).

Antibody Molecules

The term “antibody molecule” includes, but is not limited to, antibodies and fragments, preferably antigen-binding fragments, thereof. The term includes monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, Fab antibody fragments, F(ab)₂ antibody fragments, Fv antibody fragments (e.g., V_(H) or V_(L)), single chain Fv antibody fragments and dsFv antibody fragments. Furthermore, the antibody molecules of the invention may be fully human antibodies or chimeric antibodies. Preferably, the antibody molecules are monoclonal, fully human antibodies; more preferably, the antibody molecules are 1H3, 15H12 or 19D12. Preferably, the antibody molecules include one or more of the variable regions and CDRs whose amino acid and nucleotide sequences are set forth in Table 1.

The present invention includes any antibody molecule comprising a CDR selected from:

RASQSIGSSLH; (SEQ ID NO: 8) YASQSLS; (SEQ ID NO: 9) HQSSRLPHT; (SEQ ID NO: 10) SFAMH (SEQ ID NO: 14) GFTFSSFAMH; (SEQ ID NO: 17) VIDTRGATYYADSVKG; (SEQ ID NO: 15) LGNFYYGMDV; (SEQ ID NO: 16) RASQSVSSFLA; (SEQ ID NO: 31) DASNRAP; (SEQ ID NO: 32) QQRSNWPRWT; (SEQ ID NO: 33) GFTFSNYAMH; (SEQ ID NO: 37) AIGAGGDTYYADSVKG; (SEQ ID NO: 38) and GRHRNWYYYNKDY; (SEQ ID NO: 39) NYAMH (SEQ ID NO: 70)

The scope of the present invention includes antibody variable regions of the present invention (e.g., any variable region, mature or unprocessed, indicated in Table 1) linked to any immunoglobulin constant region. If a light chain variable region is linked to a constant region, preferably it is a K chain. If a heavy chain variable region is linked to a constant region, preferably it is a γ1, γ2, γ3 or γ4 constant region, more preferably, γ1, γ2 or γ4 and even more preferably γ1 or γ4.

The anti-IGFR1 antibody molecules of the invention preferably recognize human IGFR1, preferably sIGFR1; however, the present invention includes antibody molecules which recognize IGFR1 from different species, preferably mammals (e.g., mouse, rat, rabbit, sheep or dog). The present invention also includes anti-IGFR1 antibodies or fragments thereof which are complexed with IGFR1 or any fragment thereof (e.g., amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19) or with any cell which is expressing IGFR1 or any portion or fragment thereof on the cell surface (e.g., HEK293 cells stably transformed with human IGFR1 or MCF7 (e.g., ATCC Cell Line No. HTB-22)). Such complexes may be made by contacting the antibody or antibody fragment with IGFR1 or the IGFR1 fragment.

In a preferred embodiment, fully-human monoclonal antibodies directed against IGFR1 are generated using transgenic mice carrying parts of the human immune system rather than the mouse system. These transgenic mice, which may be referred to, herein, as “HuMAb” mice, contain a human immunoglobulin gene miniloci that encodes unrearranged human heavy (μ and γ) and κ light chain immunoglobulin sequences, together with targeted mutations that inactivate the endogenous μ and κ chain loci (Lonberg, N., et al., (1994) Nature 368(6474): 856-859). Accordingly, the mice exhibit reduced expression of mouse IgM or κ, and in response to immunization, the introduced human heavy and light chain transgenes undergo class switching and somatic mutation to generate high affinity human IgGκ monoclonal antibodies (Lonberg, N., et al., (1994), supra; reviewed in Lonberg, N. (1994) Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 113:49-101; Lonberg, N., et al. (1995) Intern. Rev. Immunol. 13:65-93, and Harding, F., et al., (1995) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci 764:536-546). The preparation of HuMab mice is commonly known in the art and is described, for example, in Taylor, L., et alt, (1992) Nucleic Acids Research to 20:6287-6295; Chen, J., et al., (1993) International Immunology 5: 647-656; Tuaillon, et al., (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:3720-3724; Choi, et al., (1993) Nature Genetics 4:117-123, Chen, J., et al., (1993) EMBO J. 12: 821-830; Tuaillon, et al., (1994) J. Immunol. 152:2912-2920; Lonberg, et al., (1994) Nature 368(6474): 856-859; Lonberg, N. (1994) Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 113:49-101; Taylor, L., et al., (1994) International Immunology 6: 579-591; Lonberg, N., et al., (1995) Intern. Rev. Immunol. Vol. 13: 65-93; Harding, F., et al., (1995) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 764:536-546; Fishwild, D., et al., (1996) Nature Biotechnology 14: 845-851 and Harding, et al., (1995) Annals NY Acad. Sci. 764:536-546; the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. See further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,806; 5,569,825; 5,625,126; 5,633,425; 5,789,650; 5,877,397; 5,661,016; 5,814,318; 5,874,299; 5,770,429 and 5,545,807; and International Patent Application Publication Nos. WO 98/24884; WO 94/25585; WO 93/12227; WO 92/22645 and WO 92/03918 the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entity.

To generate fully human, monoclonal antibodies to IGFR1, HuMab mice can be immunized with an antigenic IGFR1 polypeptide, preferably amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19, as described by Lonberg, N., et al., (1994) Nature 368(6474): 856-859; Fishwild, D., et al., (1996) Nature Biotechnology 14: 845-851 and WO 98/24884. Preferably, the mice will be 6-16 weeks of age upon the first immunization. For example, a purified preparation of IGFR1 or sIGFR1 can be used to immunize the HuMab mice intraperitoneally. The mice can also be immunized with whole HEK293 cells which are stably transformed or transfected with an IGFR1 gene. An “antigenic IGFR1 polypeptide” may refer to an IGFR1 polypeptide of any fragment thereof, preferably amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19, which elicits an anti-IGFR1 immune response, preferably in HuMab mice.

In general, HuMAb transgenic mice respond welt when initially immunized intraperitoneally (IP) with antigen in complete Freund's adjuvant, followed by every other week IP immunizations (usually, up to a total of 6) with antigen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Mice can be immunized, first, with cells expressing IGFR1 (e.g., stably transformed HEK293 cells), then with a soluble fragment of IGFR1 (e.g., amino acids 30-902 of SEQ ID NO: 19) and continually receive alternating immunizations with the two antigens. The immune response can be monitored over the course of the immunization protocol with plasma samples being obtained by retroorbital bleeds. The plasma can be screened for the presence of anti-IGFR1 antibodies, for example by ELISA, and mice with sufficient titers of immunoglobulin can be used for fusions. Mice can be boosted intravenously with antigen 3 days before sacrifice and removal of the spleen. It is expected that 2-3 fusions for each antigen may need to be performed. Several mice can be immunized for each antigen. For example, a total of twelve HuMAb mice of the HC07 and HC012 strains can be immunized.

Hybridoma cells which produce the monoclonal, fully human anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be produced by methods which are commonly known in the art. These methods include, but are not limited to, the hybridoma technique originally developed by Kohler, et al., (1975) (Nature 256:495-497), as well as the trioma technique (Hering, et al., (1988) Biomed Biochim. Acta. 47:211-216 and Hagiwara, et al., (1993) Hum. Antibod. Hybridomas 4:15), the human B-cell hybridoma technique (Kozbor, et al., (1983) Immunology Today 4:72 and Cote, et al., (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 80:2026-2030), and the EBV-hybridoma technique (Cole, et al., in Monoclonal Antibodies and Cancer Therapy, Alan R. Liss, Inc., pp. 77-96, 1985). Preferably, mouse splenocytes are isolated and fused with PEG to a mouse myeloma cell line based upon standard protocols. The resulting hybridomas may then be screened for the production of antigen-specific antibodies. For example, single cell suspensions of splenic lymphocytes from immunized mice may by fused to one-sixth the number of P3X63-Ag8.653 nonsecreting mouse myeloma cells (ATCC, CRL 1580) with 50% PEG. Cells may be plated at approximately 2×10⁵ cells/mL in a flat bottom microtiter plate, followed by a two week incubation in selective medium containing 20% fetal Clone Serum, 18% “653” conditioned media, 5% origen (IGEN), 4 mM L-glutamine, 1 mM L-glutamine, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 5 mM HEPES, 0.055 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 50 units/ml penicillin, 50 mg/ml streptomycin, 50 mg/ml gentamycin and 1×HAT (Sigma, the HAT is added 24 hours after the fusion). After two weeks, cells may be cultured in medium in which the HAT is replaced with HT. Individual wells may then be screened by ELISA for human anti-IGFR1 monoclonal IgG antibodies. Once extensive hybridoma growth occurs, medium can be observed usually after 10-14 days. The antibody secreting hybridomas may be replated, screened again, and if still positive for human IgG, anti-IGFR1 monoclonal antibodies, can be subcloned at least twice by limiting dilution. The stable subclones may then be cultured in vitro to generate small amounts of antibody in tissue culture medium for characterization.

The anti-IGFR antibody molecules of the present invention may also be produced recombinantly (e.g., in an E. coli/T7 expression system as discussed above). In this embodiment, nucleic acids encoding the antibody molecules of the invention (e.g., V_(H) or V_(L)) may be inserted into a pET-based plasmid and expressed in the E. coli/T7 system. There are several methods by which to produce recombinant antibodies which are known in the art. One example of a method for recombinant production of antibodies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567 which is herein incorporated by reference. Transformation can be by any known method for introducing polynucleotides into a host cell. Methods for introduction of heterologous polynucleotides into mammalian cells are well known in the art and include dextran-mediated transfection, calcium phosphate precipitation, polybrene-mediated transfection, protoplast fusion, electroporation, encapsulation of the polynucleotide(s) in liposomes, biolistic injection and direct microinjection of the DNA into nuclei. In addition, nucleic acid molecules may be introduced into mammalian cells by viral vectors. Methods of transforming cells are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,216; 4,912,040; 4,740,461 and 4,959,455.

Mammalian cell lines available as hosts for expression are well known in the art and include many immortalized cell lines available from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). These include, inter alia, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, NSO, SP2 cells, HeLa cells, baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, monkey kidney cells (COS), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (e.g., Hep G2), A549 cells, 3T3 cells, and a number of other cell lines. Mammalian host cells include human, mouse, rat, dog, monkey, pig, goat, bovine, horse and hamster cells. Cell lines of particular preference are selected through determining which cell lines have high expression levels. Other cell lines that may be used are insect cell lines, such as Sf9 cells, amphibian cells, bacterial cells, plant cells and fungal cells. When recombinant expression vectors encoding the heavy chain or antigen-binding portion thereof, the light chain and/or antigen-binding portion thereof are introduced into mammalian host cells, the antibodies are produced by culturing the host cells for a period of time sufficient to allow for expression of the antibody in the host cells or, more preferably, 5 secretion of the antibody into the culture medium in which the host cells are grown.

Antibodies can be recovered from the culture medium using standard protein purification methods. Further, expression of antibodies of the invention (or other moieties therefrom) from production cell lines can be enhanced using a number of known techniques. For example, the glutamine synthetase gene expression system (the GS system) is a common approach for enhancing expression under certain conditions. The GS system is discussed in whole or part in connection with European Patent Nos. 0 216 846, 0 256 055, and 0 323 997 and European Patent Application No. 89303964.4.

It is likely that antibodies expressed by different cell lines or in transgenic animals will have different glycosylation from each other. However, all antibodies encoded by the nucleic acid molecules provided herein, or comprising the amino acid sequences provided herein are part of the instant invention, regardless of the glycosylation of the antibodies.

“K_(off)” refers to the off-rate constant for dissociation of the antibody from an antibody/antigen complex.

“K_(on)” refers to the rate at which the antibody associates with the antigen.

“K_(d)” refers to the dissociation constant of a particular antibody/antigen interaction. K_(d)=K_(off)/K_(on).

The term “monoclonal antibody,” as used herein, refers to an antibody obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous antibodies, i.e., the individual antibodies comprising the population are identical except for possible naturally occurring mutations that may be present in minor amounts. Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific, being directed against a single antigenic site. Monoclonal antibodies are advantageous in that they may be synthesized by a hybridoma culture, essentially uncontaminated by other immunoglobulins. The modifier “monoclonal” indicates the character of the antibody as being amongst a substantially homogeneous population of antibodies, and is not to be construed as requiring production of the antibody by any particular method. As mentioned above, the monoclonal antibodies to be used in accordance with the present invention may be made by the hybridoma method first described by Kohler, et al., (1975) Nature 256: 495.

A polyclonal antibody is an antibody which was produced among or in the presence of one or more other, non-identical antibodies. In general, polyclonal antibodies are produced from a B-lymphocyte in the presence of several other B-lymphocytes which produced non-identical antibodies. Usually, polyclonal antibodies are obtained directly from an immunized animal.

A bispecific or bifunctional antibody is an artificial hybrid antibody having two different heavy/light chain pairs and two different binding sites. Bispecific antibodies can be produced by a variety of methods including fusion of hybridomas or linking of Fab′ fragments. See, e.g., Songsivilai, et al., (1990) Clin. Exp. Immunol. 79; 315-321, Kostelny, et al., (1992) J. Immunol. 148:1547-1553. In addition, bispecific antibodies may be formed as “diabodies” (Holliger, et al., (1993) PNAS USA 90:6444-6448) or as “Janusins” (Traunecker, et al., (1991) EMBO J. 10:3655-3659 and Traunecker, et al., (1992) Int. J. Cancer Suppl. 7:51-52).

The term “fully human antibody” refers to an antibody which comprises human immunoglobulin protein sequences only. A fully human antibody may contain murine carbohydrate chains if produced in a mouse, in a mouse cell or in a hybridoma derived from a mouse cell. Similarly, “mouse antibody” refers to an antibody which comprises mouse immunoglobulin sequences only.

The present invention includes “chimeric antibodies”—an antibody which comprises a variable region of the present invention fused or chimerized with an antibody region (e.g., constant region) from another, non-human species (e.g., mouse, horse, rabbit, dog, cow, chicken). These antibodies may be used to modulate the expression or activity of IGFR1 in the non-human species.

“Single-chain Fv” or “sFv” antibody fragments have the V_(H) and V_(L) domains of an antibody, wherein these domains are present in a single polypeptide chain. Generally, the sFv polypeptide further comprises a polypeptide linker between the V_(H) and V_(L) domains which enables the sFv to form the desired structure for antigen binding. Techniques described for the production of single chain antibodies (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,786; 5,132,405 and 4,946,778) can be adapted to produce anti-IGFR1-specific single chain antibodies. For a review of sFv see Pluckthun in The Pharmacology of Monoclonal Antibodies, vol. 113, Rosenburg and Moore eds. Springer-Verlag, N.Y., pp. 269-315 (1994).

“Disulfide stabilized Fv fragments” and “dsFv” refer to antibody molecules comprising a variable heavy chain (V_(H)) and a variable light chain (V_(L)) which are linked by a disulfide bridge.

Antibody fragments within the scope of the present invention also include F(ab)₂ fragments which may be produced by enzymatic cleavage of an IgG by, for example, pepsin. Fab fragments may be produced by, for example, reduction of F(ab)₂ with dithiothreitol or mercaptoethylamine. A Fab fragment is a V_(L)-C_(L) chain appended to a V_(H)-C_(H1) chain by a disulfide bridge. A F(ab)₂ fragment is two Fab fragments which, in turn, are appended by two disulfide bridges. The Fab portion of an F(ab)₂ molecule includes a portion of the Fc region between which disulfide bridges are located.

An F_(V) fragment is a V_(L) or V_(H) region.

Depending on the amino acid sequences of the constant domain of their heavy chains, immunoglobulins can be assigned to different classes. There are at least five major classes of immunoglobulins: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM, and several of these may be further divided into subclasses (isotypes), e.g. IgG-1, IgG-2, IgG-3 and IgG-4; IgA-1 and IgA-2.

The anti-IGFR1 antibody molecules of the invention may also be conjugated to a chemical moiety. The chemical moiety may be, inter alia, a polymer, a radionuclide or a cytotoxic factor. Preferably the chemical moiety is a polymer which increases the half-life of the antibody molecule in the body of a subject. Suitable polymers include, but are not limited to, polyethylene glycol (PEG) (e.g., PEG with a molecular weight of 2 kDa, 5 kDa, 10 kDa, 12 kDa, 20 kDa, 30 kDa or 40 kDa), dextran and monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG). Lee, et al., (1999) (Bioconj. Chem. 10:973-981) discloses PEG conjugated single-chain antibodies. Wen, et al., (2001) (Bioconj. Chem. 12:545-553) disclose conjugating antibodies with PEG which is attached to a radiometal chelator (diethylenetriaminpentaacetic acid (DTPA)).

The antibodies and antibody fragments of the invention may also be conjugated with labels such as ⁹⁹Tc, ⁹⁰Y, ¹¹¹In, ³²P, ¹⁴C, ¹²⁵I, ³H, ¹³¹I, ¹¹C, ¹⁵O, ¹³N, ¹⁸F, ³⁵S, ⁵¹Cr, ⁵⁷To, ²²⁶Ra, ⁶⁰Co, ⁵⁹Fe, ⁵⁷Se, ¹⁵²Eu, ⁶⁷Cu, ²¹⁷Ci, ²¹¹At, ²¹²Pb, ⁴⁷Sc, ¹⁰⁹Pd, ²³⁴Th, and ⁴⁰K, ¹⁵⁷Gd, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁵²Tr and ⁵⁶Fe.

The antibodies and antibody fragments of the invention may also be conjugated with fluorescent or chemilluminescent labels, including fluorophores such as rare earth chelates, fluorescein and its derivatives, rhodamine and its derivatives, isothiocyanate, phycoerythrin, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, o-phthaladehyde, fluorescamine, ¹⁵²Eu, dansyl, umbelliferone, luciferin, luminal label, isoluminal label, an aromatic acridinium ester label, an imidazole label, an acridimium salt label, an oxalate ester label, an aequorin label, 2,3-dihydrophthalazinediones, biotinjavidin, spin labels and stable free radicals.

The antibody molecules may also be conjugated to a cytotoxic factor such as diptheria toxin, Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A chain, ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain, alpha-sarcin, Aleurites fordii proteins and compounds (e.g., fatty acids), dianthin proteins, Phytoiacca americana proteins PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S, momordica charantia inhibitor, curcin, crotin, saponaria officinalis inhibitor, mitogellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, and enomycin.

Any method known in the art for conjugating the antibody molecules of the invention to the various moieties may be employed, including those methods described by Hunter, et al., (1962) Nature 144:945; David, et al., (1974) Biochemistry 13:1014; Pain, et al., (1981) J. Immunol. Meth. 40:219; and Nygren, J., (1982) Histochem. and Cytochem. 30:407. Methods for conjugating antibodies are conventional and very well known in the art.

Modified Antibody Molecules

The present invention includes antibodies and antigen-binding fragments (e.g., fully-human antibodies, SFv, dsFv, Fv, chimeric antibodies) comprising a light chain of SEQ ID NOs: 41, 43, 72, 74, 76 or 78 (15H12/19D12 LCA, LCB, LCC, LCD, LCE or LCF); preferably amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NOs: 41, 43, 72, 74, 76 or 78 (mature 15H12/19D12 LCA, LCB, LCC, LCD, LCE or LCF). The present invention also includes antibody molecules including the heavy chain of SEQ ID NO: 45 or 112 (15H12/19D12 HCA, HCB); preferably amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 or 112 (mature 15H12/19D12 HCA, HOB).

The 15H12/19D12 LCA, LCB, LCC, LCD, LCE and LCF may be dimerized with any other immunoglobulin heavy chain, preferably an immunoglobulin heavy chain of the present invention. Likewise, 15H12/19D12 HCA or HCB may be dimerized with any light chain, preferably a light chain of the present invention. For example, 15H12/19D12 HCA or HCB may be dimerized with 15H12/19D12 LCC, LCD, LCE or LCF.

Antibodies and antigen-binding fragments comprising 15H12/19D12 LCA, 15H12/19D12 LCB, 15H12/19D12 LCC, 15H12/19D12 LCD, 15H12/19D12 LCE, 15H12/19D12 LCF, 15H12/19D12 HCA or 15H12/19D12 HCB or any fragment thereof exhibit minimal immunogenicity in a human subject; thereby, leading to a low incidence of HAHA response when administered to a human subject.

Preferred antibody chains are shown below. Dotted underscored type encodes the signal peptide. Solid underscored type encodes the CDRs. Plain type encodes the framework regions. Most preferably, the antibody chains are mature fragments which lack the signal peptide.

Modified 19D12/15H12 Light Chain-C (SEQ ID NO: 71)

SEQ ID NO: 72:

Modified 19D12/15H12 Light Chain-D (SEQ ID NO: 73)

SEQ ID NO: 74:

Modified 19D12/15H12 Light Chain-E (SEQ ID NO: 75)

SEQ ID NO: 76:

Modified 19D12/15H12 Light Chain-F (SEQ ID NO: 77)

SEQ ID NO: 78:

Modified 19D12/15H12 heavy chain-A (SEQ ID NO: 44)

SEQ ID NO: 45:

Modified 19D12/15H12 heavy chain-B (SEQ ID NO: 111)

SEQ ID NO: 112:

Gene Therapy

The anti-IGFR1 antibodies of the invention may also be administered to a subject in a gene therapy approach. In a gene therapy approach, the cells of a subject are transformed with nucleic acids which encode the antibodies of the invention. Subjects comprising the nucleic acids will then produce the antibody molecules endogenously. Previously, Alvarez, et al., (2000) (Clinical Cancer Research 6:3081-3087) introduced single-chain anti-ErbB2 antibodies to subjects using a gene therapy approach. The methods disclosed by Alvarez, et al., may be easily adapted for the introduction of nucleic acids encoding an anti-IGFR1 antibody molecule of the invention to a subject.

Although nucleic acids encoding any polypeptide or antibody molecule of the invention may be introduced to a subject, in preferred embodiments, the antibody molecule is a fully human, single-chain antibody.

The nucleic acids may be introduced to the cells of a subject by any means known in the art. In preferred embodiments, the nucleic acids are introduced as part of a viral vector. Examples of preferred viruses from which the vectors may be derived include lentiviruses, herpes viruses, adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, vaccinia virus, baculovirus, alphavirus, influenza virus, and other recombinant viruses with desirable cellular tropism.

Various companies produce viral vectors commercially, including, but by no means limited to, Avigen™, Inc. (Alameda, CA; AAV vectors), Cell Genesys (Foster City, CA; retroviral, adenoviral, AAV vectors, and lentiviral vectors), Clontech™ (retroviral and baculoviral vectors), Genovo, Inc. (Sharon Hill, PA; adenoviral and AAV vectors), Genvec (adenoviral vectors), IntroGene (Leiden, Netherlands; adenoviral vectors), Molecular Medicine (retroviral, adenoviral, AAV, and herpes viral vectors), Norgen™ (adenoviral vectors), Oxford BioMedica (Oxford, United Kingdom; lentiviral vectors), and Transgene™ (Strasbourg, France; adenoviral, vaccinia, retroviral, and lentiviral vectors).

Methods for constructing and using viral vectors are known in the art (see, e.g., Miller, et al., (1992) BioTechniques 7:980-990). Preferably, the viral vectors are replication defective, that is, they are unable to replicate autonomously, and thus are not infectious, in the target cell. Preferably, the replication defective virus is a minimal virus, i.e., it retains only the sequences of its genome which are necessary for encapsidating the genome to produce viral particles. Defective viruses, which entirely or almost entirely lack viral genes, are preferred. Use of defective viral vectors allows for administration to cells in a specific, localized area, without concern that the vector can infect other cells. Thus, a specific tissue can be specifically targeted.

Examples of vectors comprising attenuated or defective DNA virus sequences include, but are not limited to, a defective herpes virus vector (Kanno, et al., (1999) Cancer Gen. Ther. 6:147-154; Kaplitt, et al., (1997) J. Neurosci. Meth. 71:125-132 and Kaplittf, et al., (1994)₃ J. Neuro Onc. 19:137-147).

Adenoviruses are eukaryotic DNA viruses that can be modified to efficiently deliver a nucleic acid of the invention to a variety of cell types. Attenuated adenovirus vectors, such as the vector described by Strafford-Perricaudet, et al., (1992) (J. Clin. Invest. 90:626-630) are desirable in some instances. Various replication defective adenovirus and minimum adenovirus vectors have been described (PCT Publication Nos. WO94/26914, WO94/28938, WO94/28152, WO94/12649, WO95/02697 and WO96/22378). The replication defective recombinant adenoviruses according to the invention can be prepared by any technique known to a person skilled in the art (Levrero, et al., (1991) Gene 101.195; EP 185573; Graham, (1984) EMBO J. 3:2917; Graham, et al., (1977) J. Gen. Virol. 36:59).

The adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are DNA viruses of relatively small size which can integrate, in a stable and site-specific manner, into the genome of the cells which they infect. They are able to infect a wide spectrum of cells without inducing any effects on cellular growth, morphology or differentiation, and they do not appear to be involved in human pathologies. The use of vectors derived from the AAVs for transferring genes in vitro and in vivo has been described (see Daly, et al., (2001) Gene Ther. 8:1343-1346, 1245-1315; Larson, et al., (2001) Adv. Exp. Med. Bio. 489:45-57; PCT Publication Nos. WO91/18088 and WO93/09239; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,797,368 and 5,139,941 and EP 488528B1).

In another embodiment, the gene can be introduced in a retroviral vector, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,399,346, 4,650,764, 4,980,289, and 5,124,263; Mann, et al., (1983) Cell 33:153; Markowitz, et al., (1988) J. Virol., 62:1120; EP 453242 and EP178220. The retroviruses are integrating viruses which infect dividing cells.

Lentiviral vectors can be used as agents for the direct delivery and sustained expression of nucleic acids encoding an antibody molecule of the invention in several tissue types, including brain, retina, muscle, liver and blood. The vectors can efficiently transduce dividing and nondividing cells in these tissues, and maintain long-term expression of the antibody molecule. For a review, see Zufferey, et al., (1998) J. Virol. 72:9873-80 and Kafri, et al., (2001) Curr. Opin. Mol. Ther. 3:316-326. Lentiviral packaging cell lines are available and known generally in the art. They facilitate the production of high-titer lentivirus vectors for gene therapy. An example is a tetracycline-inducible VSV-G pseudotyped lentivirus packaging cell line which can generate virus particles at titers greater than 106 IU/ml for at least 3 to 4 days; see Kafri, et alt, (1999) (J. Virol. 73: 576-584). The vector produced by the inducible cell line can be concentrated as needed for efficiently transducing nondividing cells in vitro and in vivo.

Sindbis virus is a member of the alphavirus genus and has been studied extensively since its discovery in various parts of the world beginning in 1953. Gene transduction based on alphavirus, particularly Sindbis virus, has been well-studied in vitro (see Straus, et al., (1994) Microbiol. Rev., 58:491-562; Bredenbeek, et al., (1993) J. Viral., 67; 6439-6446 Iijima, et al., (1999) Int. J. Cancer 80:110-118 and Sawai, et al., (1998) Biochim. Biophyr. Res. Comm. 248:315-323). Many properties of alphavirus vectors make them a desirable alternative to other virus-derived vector systems being developed, including rapid engineering of expression constructs, production of high-titered stocks of infectious particles, infection of nondividing cells, and high levels of expression (Strauss, et al., (4994) Microbiol. Rev. 58:491-562). Use of Sindbis virus for gene therapy has been described. (Wahlfors, et al., (2000) Gene. Ther. 7:472-480 and Lundstrom (1999) J. Recep. Sig. Transduct. Res. 19(1-4):673-686).

In another embodiment, a vector can be introduced to cells by lipofection or with other transfection facilitating agents (peptides, polymers, etc.). Synthetic cationic lipids can be used to prepare liposomes for in vivo and in vitro transfection of a gene encoding a marker (Feigner, et al., (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:7413-7417 and Wang, et al., (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:7851-7855). Useful lipid compounds and compositions for transfer of nucleic acids are described in PCT Publication Nos. WO 95/18863 and WO96/17823, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,127.

It is also possible to introduce the vector in vivo as a naked DNA plasmid. Naked DNA vectors for gene therapy can be introduced into the desired host cells by methods known in the art, e.g., electroporation, microinjection, cell fusion, DEAE dextran, calcium phosphate precipitation, use of a gene gun, or use of a DNA vector transporter (see, e.g., Wilson, et al., (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267:963-967; Williams, et al., (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:2726-2730). Receptor-mediated DNA delivery approaches can also be used (Wu, et al., (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263:14621-14624). U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,580,859 and 5,589,466 disclose delivery of exogenous DNA sequences, free of transfection facilitating agents, in a mammal. Recently, a relatively low voltage, high efficiency in vivo DNA transfer technique, termed electrotransfer, has been described (Vilquin, et al., (2001) Gene Ther. 8:1097; Payen, et al., (2001) Exp. Hematol. 29:295-300; Mir (2001) Bioelectrochemistry 53:1-10; PCT Publication Nos. WO99/01157, WO99/01158 and WO99/01175).

Pharmaceutical Compositions

An antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention can be incorporated into a pharmaceutical composition, along with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, suitable for administration to a subject in vivo. Although the scope of the present invention includes pharmaceutical compositions which may be administered to a subject by any route (e.g., oral, ocular, topical or pulmonary (inhalation)), administration by a parenteral route such as intratumoral injection, intravenous injection, subcutaneous injection or intramuscular injection is preferred. In a preferred embodiment, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention comprise 1H3, 15H12, 19D12, 15H12/19D12 LCA, 15H12/19D12 LCB, 15H12/19D12 LCC, 15H12/19D12 LCD, 15H12/19D12 LCE, 15H12/19D12 LCF, 15H12/19D12 HCA or 15H12/19D12 HCB and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

For general information concerning formulations, see, e.g., Gilman, et al., (eds.) (1990), The Pharmacological Bases of Therapeutics, 8th Ed., Pergamon Press; A. Gennaro (ed.), Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Edition, (1990), Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa.; Avis, et al., (eds.) (1993) Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Parenteral Medications Dekker, New York; Lieberman, et al., (eds.) (1990) Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Tablets Dekker, New York; and Lieberman, et al., (eds.) (1990), Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Disperse Systems Dekker, New York, Kenneth A. Walters (ed.) (2002) Dermatological and Transdermal Formulations (Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences), Vol 119, Marcel Dekker.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are conventional and very well known in the art. Examples include aqueous and nonaqueous carriers, stabilizers, antioxidants, solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antimicrobial agents, buffers, serum proteins, isotonic and absorption delaying agents, and the like that are physiologically compatible. Preferably, the carrier is suitable for injection into a subject's body.

Examples of suitable aqueous and nonaqueous carriers which may be employed in the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include water, ethanol, polyols (such as glycerol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and the like), and suitable mixtures thereof, vegetable oils, such as olive oil, and injectable organic esters, such as ethyl oleate. Proper fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the use of coating materials, such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the required particle size in the case of dispersions, and by the use of surfactants.

Stabilizers, such as α,α-trehalose dihydrate may be included for stabilizing the antibody molecules of the invention from degrading effects of dessication or freeze drying.

Examples of pharmaceutically-acceptable antioxidants include: water soluble antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, cysteine hydrochloride, sodium bisulfate, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite and the like; and oil-soluble antioxidants such as ascorbyl palmitate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), lecithin, propyl gallate, alpha-tocopherol, and the like; and metal chelating agents, such as citric acid, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), sorbitol, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, and the like.

Prevention of the presence of microorganisms may be ensured both by sterilization procedures, and by the inclusion of various antimicrobial agents such as EDTA, EGTA, paraben, chlorobutanol, phenol sorbic acid, and the like.

Suitable buffers which may be included in the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include L-histidine based buffers, phosphate based buffers (e.g. phosphate buffered saline, pH≅7), sorbate based buffers or glycine-based buffers.

Serum proteins which may be included in the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may include human serum albumin.

Isotonic agents, such as sugars, ethanol, polyalcohols (e.g., glycerol, propylene glycol, liquid polyethylene glycol, mannitol or sorbitol), sodium citrate or sodium chloride (e.g., buffered saline) may also be included in the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention.

Prolonged absorption of an injectable pharmaceutical form may be brought about by the inclusion of agents which delay absorption such as aluminum monostearate and/or gelatin.

Dispersions can also be prepared in glycerol, liquid polyethylene glycols, and mixtures thereof and in oils.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include sterile aqueous solutions or dispersions and sterile powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable solutions or dispersions. The use of such media and agents for pharmaceutically active substances is well known in the art.

Sterile injectable solutions can be prepared by incorporating the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention in the required amount in an appropriate solvent, optionally with one or a combination of ingredients enumerated above, as required, followed by sterilization microfiltration. Generally, dispersions are prepared by incorporating the antibody molecule into a sterile vehicle that contains a basic dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from those enumerated above. In the case of sterile powders for the preparation of sterile injectable solutions, the preferred methods of preparation are vacuum drying and freeze-drying (lyophilization) that yield a powder of the active ingredient plus any additional, desired ingredient from a previously sterile-filtered solution thereof.

The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention may also be orally administered. Pharmaceutical compositions for oral administration may contain, in addition to the binding composition, additives such as starch (e.g., potato, maize or wheat starch or cellulose), starch derivatives (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose or silica), sugars (e.g., lactose), talc, stearate, magnesium carbonate or calcium phosphate. In order to ensure that oral compositions comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention are well tolerated by the patient's digestive system, mucus formers or resins may be included. It may also be desirable to improve tolerance by formulating the antibody or antigen-binding fragment in a capsule which is insoluble in the gastric juices. An exemplary pharmaceutical composition of this invention in the form of a capsule is prepared by filling a standard two-piece hard gelatin capsule with the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention in powdered form, lactose, talc and magnesium stearate. Oral administration of immunoglobulins has been described (Foster, et al., (2001) Cochrane Database System rev. 3:CD01816)

An antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention may also be included in a pharmaceutical composition for topical administration. Formulations suitable for topical administration include liquid or semi-liquid preparations suitable for penetration through the skin to the site where treatment is required, such as liniments, lotions, creams, ointments or pastes, and drops suitable for administration to the eye, ear or nose.

Drops according to the present invention may comprise sterile aqueous or oily solutions or suspensions and may be prepared by dissolving the antibody or antigen-binding fragment in a suitable aqueous solution of a bactericidal and/or fungicidal agent and/or any other suitable preservative, and preferably including a surface active agent. The resulting solution may then be clarified by filtration.

Lotions according to the present invention include those suitable for application to the skin or eye. An eye lotion may comprise a sterile, aqueous solution optionally containing a bactericide and may be prepared by methods similar to those for the preparation of drops. Lotions or liniments for application to the skin may also include an agent to hasten drying and to cool the skin, such as an alcohol or acetone, and/or a moisturizer such as glycerol or an oil such as castor oil or arachis oil.

Creams, ointments or pastes according to the present invention are semi-solid formulations of the active ingredient for external application. They may be made by mixing the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention in finely-divided or powdered form, alone or in solution or suspension in an aqueous or non-aqueous fluid, with the aid of suitable machinery, with a greasy or non-greasy basis. The basis may comprise hydrocarbons such as hard, soft or liquid paraffin, glycerol, beeswax, a metallic soap; a mucilage; an oil of natural origin such as almond, corn, arachis, castor or olive oil; wool fat or its derivatives, or a fatty acid such as stearic or oleic acid together with an alcohol such as propylene glycol or macrogels. The formulation may incorporate any suitable surface active agent such as an anionic, cationic or non-ionic surface active such as sorbitan esters or polyoxyethylene derivatives thereof. Suspending agents such as natural gums, cellulose derivatives or inorganic materials such as silicaceous silicas, and other ingredients such as lanolin, may also be included.

The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention may also be administered by inhalation. A suitable pharmaceutical composition for inhalation may be an aerosol. An exemplary pharmaceutical composition for inhalation of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention may include: an aerosol container with a capacity of 15-20 ml comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention, a lubricating agent, such as polysorbate 85 or oleic acid, dispersed in a propellant, such as freon, preferably in a combination of 1,2-dichlorotetrafluoroethane and difluorochlromethane. Preferably, the composition is in an appropriate aerosol container adapted for either intranasal or oral inhalation administration.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the pharmaceutical composition can be administered by combination therapy. For example, the combination therapy can include a pharmaceutical composition of the present invention in association with one or more anti-cancer therapeutic agents (e.g., alkylating agents, antimetabolites, anti-tumor antibiotics, mitotic inhibitors, chromatin function inhibitors, anti-angiogenesis agents, anti-estrogens, anti-androgens, antibody therapies or immunomodulators). An “anti-cancer therapeutic agent” is a substance which, when administered to a subject, treats or prevents the development of cancer in the subject's body. The compositions of the invention may be administered in association with one or more anti-cancer therapeutic procedures (e.g., radiation therapy or surgical tumorectomy). An “anti-cancer therapeutic procedure” is a process which is performed on a subject which treats or reduces the incidence of cancer in the subject. When a combination therapy is used, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention, or pharmaceutical compositions thereof, may be formulated into a single composition for simultaneous delivery or formulated separately into two or more compositions (e.g., a kit). Furthermore, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment may be administered to a subject at a different time than when the other therapeutic agent or therapeutic procedure is administered; for example, each administration may be given non-simultaneously at several intervals over a given period of time.

“Alkylating agent” refers to any substance which can cross-link or alkylate any molecule, preferably nucleic acid (e.g., DNA), within a cell. Examples of alkylating agents include mechlorethamine, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, phenylalanine mustard, melphalen, chlorambucol, uracil mustard, estramustine, thiotepa, busulfan, lomustine, carmustine, streptozocin, dacarbazine, cis-platinum, carboplatin and altretamine.

“Antimetabolites” refer to substances that block cell growth and/or metabolism by interfering with certain activities, usually DNA synthesis. Examples of antimetabolites include methotrexate, 5-fluoruracil, floxuridine, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, capecitabine, fludarabine, cytosine arabinoside, 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanine, gemcitabine, cladribine, deoxycoformycin and pentostatin.

“Anti-tumor antibiotics” refer to compounds which may prevent or inhibit DNA, RNA and/or protein synthesis. Examples of anti-tumor antibiotics include doxorubicin, daunorubicin, idarubicin, valrubicin, mitoxantrone, dactinomycin, mithramycin, plicamycin, mitomycin C, bleomycin, and procarbazine.

“Mitotic inhibitors” prevent normal progression of the cell cycle and mitosis. In general, microtubule inhibitors such as paclitaxel and docetaxel are capable of inhibiting mitosis. Vinca alkaloids such as vinblastine, vincristine and vinorelbine are also capable of inhibiting mitosis.

“Chromatin function inhibitors” refer to substances which inhibit the normal function of chromatin modeling proteins such as topoisomerase I or topoisomerase II. Examples of chromatin function inhibitors include topotecan, irinotecan, etoposide and teniposide.

“Anti-angiogenesis agent” refers to any drug, compound, substance or agent which inhibits growth of blood vessels. Exemplary anti-angiogenesis agents include, but are by no means limited to, razoxin, marimastat, COL-3, neovastat, BMS-275291, thalidomide, squalamine, endostatin, SU5416, SU6668, interferon-alpha, EMD121974, interleukin-12, IM862, angiostatin and vitaxin.

“Anti-estrogen” or “anti-estrogenic agent” refer to any substance which reduces, antagonizes or inhibits the action of estrogen. Examples of anti-estrogen agents are tamoxifen, toremifene, raloxifene, droloxifene, iodoxyfene, anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane.

“Anti-androgens” or “anti-androgen agents” refer to any substance which reduces, antagonizes or inhibits the action of an androgen. Examples of anti-androgens are flutamide, nilutamide, bicalutamide, sprironolactone, cyproterone acetate, finasteride and cimitidine.

Antibody therapies which may be administered in conjunction with the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention include trastuzumab (e.g., herceptin) (see, for example, Sliwkowski, et al., (1999) Semin. Oncol. 26(4 Suppl 12):60-70), vitaxin and rituximab.

“Immunomodulators” are substances which stimulate the immune system. Examples of immunomodulators include denileukin diftitox, levamisole in conjunction with 5-fluorouracil, interferon and interleukin-2.

“Radiotherapy” or “radiation therapy” refers to treating a disease, such as cancer, by administration of ionizing radiation (preferably to a tumor site). Examples of ionizing radiation which may be administered include X-rays, gamma rays (e.g., emitted by radium, uranium or cobalt 60), and particle beam radiation (e.g., protons, neutrons, pions or heavy ions).

Dosage

Preferably, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention is administered to a subject at a “therapeutically effective dosage” which preferably inhibits a disease or condition which is mediated by IGFR1 (e.g., tumor growth) to any extent-preferably by at least about 20%, more preferably by at least about 40%, even more preferably by at least about 60%, and still more preferably by at least about 80%-100% relative to untreated subjects. The ability of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention to inhibit cancer can be evaluated in an animal model system predictive of efficacy in human tumors. Alternatively, this property of a composition can be evaluated by examining the ability of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention to inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro by assays (see below) well-known to the skilled practitioner. One of ordinary skill in the art would be able to determine such amounts based on such factors as the subject's size, the severity of the subject's symptoms, and the particular composition or route of administration selected.

Dosage regimens may be adjusted to provide the optimum desired response (e.g., a therapeutic response). For example, a single bolus may be administered, several divided doses may be administered over time or the dose may be proportionally reduced or increased as indicated by exigencies of the therapeutic situation. It is especially advantageous to formulate parenteral compositions in dosage unit form for ease of administration and uniformity of dosage.

A physician or veterinarian having ordinary skill in the art can readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition required. For example, the physician or veterinarian could start doses of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention employed in the pharmaceutical composition at levels lower than that required in order to achieve the desired therapeutic effect and gradually increase the dosage until the desired effect is achieved. In general, a suitable daily dose of a composition of the invention may be that amount of the compound which is the lowest dose effective to produce a therapeutic effect. Such an effective dose will generally depend upon the factors described above. It is preferred that administration be by injection, preferably proximal to the site of the target (e.g., tumor). If desired, the effective daily dose of a pharmaceutical composition may be administered as two, three, four, five, six or more subdoses administered separately at appropriate intervals throughout the day.

Therapeutic Methods and Administration

The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments of the invention may be used for treating or preventing any disease or condition in a subject which is mediated by elevated expression or activity of IGFR1 or by elevated expression of its ligand (e.g., IGF-I or IGF-II) and which may be treated or prevented by modulation of IGFR1 ligand binding, activity or expression. Preferably, the disease or condition is mediated by an increased level of IGFR1, IGF-I or IGF-II and is treated or prevented by decreasing IGFR1 ligand binding, activity (e.g., autophosphorylation activity) or expression. Preferably, the disease or condition is malignancy, more preferably a malignancy characterized by a tumor which expresses IGFR1, such as, but not limited to, bladder cancer, Wilm's cancer, bone cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, synovial sarcoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), diarrhea associated with metastatic carcinoid and vasoactive intestinal peptide secreting tumors (e.g., VIPoma or Werner-Morrison syndrome). Acromegaly may also be treated with the antibody molecules of the invention. Antagonism of IGF-I has been reported for treatment of acromegaly (Drake, et al., (2001) Trends Endocrin. Metab. 12: 408-413). Other non-malignant medical conditions which may also be treated, in a subject, by administering an anti-IGFR1 antibody of the invention include gigantism, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, smooth muscle restenosis of blood vessels or inappropriate microvascular proliferation, such as that found as a complication of diabetes, especially of the eye.

The term “subject” may refer to any organism, preferably an animal, more preferably a mammal (e.g., rat, mouse, dog, cat, rabbit) and most preferably a human.

In preferred embodiments, the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention and pharmaceutical compositions thereof are administered by an invasive route such as by injection (see above). Administration by a non-invasive route (see above) is also within the scope of the present invention.

Compositions can be administered with medical devices known in the art. For example, in a preferred embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition of the invention can be administered by injection with a hypodermic needle.

The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be administered with a needleless hypodermic injection device; such as the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,399,163; 5,383,851; 5,312,335; 5,064,413; 4,941,880; 4,790,824 or 4,596,556.

Examples of well-known implants and modules useful in the present invention include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,603, which discloses an implantable micro-infusion pump for dispensing medication at a controlled rate; U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,233, which discloses a medication infusion pump for delivering medication at a precise infusion rate; U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,224, which discloses a variable flow implantable infusion apparatus for continuous drug delivery; U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,196, which discloses an osmotic drug delivery system having multi-chamber compartments. Many other such implants, delivery systems, and modules are well known to those skilled in the art.

Assays

The anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be used to detect IGFR1 in a biological sample in vitro or in vivo (see, for example, Zola, Monoclonal Antibodies: A Manual of Techniques, pp. 147-158 (CRC Press, Inc., 1987)). The anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be used in a conventional immunoassay, including, without limitation, an ELISA, an RIA, FACS, tissue immunohistochemistry, Western blot or immunoprecipitation. The anti-IGFR1 antibodies of the invention may be used to detect IGFR1 from humans. The invention provides a method for detecting IGFR1 in the biological sample comprising contacting the biological sample with an anti-IGFR1 antibody of the invention and detecting the anti-IGFR1 antibody bound to IGFR1, thereby indicating the presence of the IGFR1 in the biological sample. In one embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibody is directly labeled with a detectable label and may be detected directly. In another embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibody (the first antibody) is unlabeled and a secondary antibody or other molecule that can bind the anti-IGFR1 antibody is labeled. As is well known to one of skill in the art, a secondary antibody is chosen that is able to specifically bind the specific species and class of the first antibody. For example, if the anti-IGFR1 antibody is a human IgG, then the secondary antibody may be an anti-human-IgG. The presence of an anti-IGFR1/IGFR1 complex in the biological sample can be detected by detecting the presence of the labeled secondary antibody. Other molecules that can bind to antibodies (e.g., anti-IGFR1 antibodies) include, without limitation, Protein A and Protein G, both of which are available commercially, e.g., from Pierce Chemical Co. (Rockford, Ill.)

Suitable labels for the anti-IGFR1 antibody or secondary antibody have been disclosed supra, and include various enzymes, prosthetic groups, fluorescent materials, luminescent materials, magnetic agents and radioactive materials. Examples of suitable enzymes include horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, β-galactosidase, or acetylcholinesterase; examples of suitable prosthetic group complexes include streptavidin/biotin and avidin/biotin; examples of suitable fluorescent materials include umbelliferone, fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, rhodamine, dichlorotriazinylamine fluorescein, dansyl chloride or phycoerythrin; an example of a luminescent material includes luminol; an example of a magnetic agent includes gadolinium; and examples of suitable radioactive material include ¹²⁵I, ¹³¹I, ³⁵S or ³H.

In an alternative embodiment, IGFR1 can be assayed in a biological sample by a competition immunoassay utilizing IGFR1 standards labeled with a detectable substance and an unlabeled anti-IGFR1 antibody. In this assay, the biological sample, the labeled IGFR1 standards and the anti-IGFR1 antibody are combined and the amount of labeled IGFR1 standard bound to the unlabeled antibody is determined. The amount of IGFR1 in the biological sample is inversely proportional to the amount of labeled IGFR1 standard bound to the anti-IGFR1 antibody. One may use the immunoassays disclosed above for a number of purposes. In one embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be used to detect IGFR1 in cells in cell culture. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be used to determine the level of tyrosine phosphorylation, tyrosine autophosphorylation of IGFR1, and/or the amount of IGFR1 on the cell surface after treatment of the cells with various compounds. This method can be used to test compounds that may be used to activate or inhibit IGFR1. In this method, one sample of cells is treated with a test compound for a period of time while another sample is left untreated. If tyrosine autophosphorylation is to be measured, the cells are lysed and tyrosine phosphorylation of the IGFR1 is measured using an immunoassay, for example, as described above. If the total level of IGFR1 is to be measured, the cells are lysed and the total IGFR1 level is measured using one of the immunoassays described above.

A preferred immunoassay for determining IGFR1 tyrosine phosphorylation or for measuring total IGFR1 levels is an ELISA or Western blot. If only the cell surface level of IGFR1 is to be measured, the cells are not lysed, and the cell surface levels of IGFR1 are measured using one of the immunoassays described above. A preferred immunoassay for determining cell surface levels of IGFR1 includes the steps of labeling the cell surface proteins with a detectable label, such as biotin or ¹²⁵I, immunoprecipitating the IGFR1 with an anti-IGFR1 antibody and then detecting the labeled IGFR1. Another preferred immunoassay for determining the localization of IGFR1, e.g., cell surface levels, is by using immunohistochemistry. Methods such as ELISA, RIA, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, cell surface labeling of integral membrane proteins and immunoprecipitation are well known in the art. In addition, the immunoassays may be scaled up for high throughput screening in order to test a large number of compounds for either activation or inhibition of IGFR1.

The anti-IGFR1 antibodies of the invention may also be used to determine the levels of IGFR1 in a tissue or in cells derived from the tissue. In a preferred embodiment, the tissue is a diseased tissue. In a more preferred embodiment, the tissue is a tumor or a biopsy thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the method, a tissue or a biopsy thereof is excised from a patient. The tissue or biopsy is then used in an immunoassay to determine, e.g., IGFR1 levels, cell surface levels of IGFR1, levels of tyrosine phosphorylation of IGFR1, or localization of IGFR1 by the methods discussed above. The method can be used to determine if a tumor expresses IGFR1 at a high level.

The above-described diagnostic method can be used to determine whether a tumor expresses high levels of IGFR1, which may he indicative that the tumor will respond well to treatment with anti-IGFR1 antibody. The diagnostic method may also be used to determine whether a tumor is potentially cancerous, if it expresses high levels of IGFR1, or benign, if it expresses low levels of IGFR1. Further, the diagnostic method may also be used to determine whether treatment with anti-IGFR1 antibody is causing a tumor to express lower levels of IGFR1 and/or to exhibit lower levels of tyrosine autophosphorylation, and thus can be used to determine whether the treatment is successful. In general, a method to determine whether an anti-IGFR1 antibody decreases tyrosine phosphorylation comprises the steps of measuring the level of tyrosine phosphorylation in a cell or tissue of interest, incubating the cell or tissue with an anti-IGFR1 antibody or antigen-binding portion thereof, then re-measuring the level of tyrosine phosphorylation in the cell or tissue. The tyrosine phosphorylation of IGFR1 or of another protein(s) may be measured. The diagnostic method may also be used to determine whether a tissue or cell is not expressing high enough levels of IGFR1 or high enough levels of activated IGFR1, which may be the case for individuals with dwarfism, osteoporosis or diabetes. A diagnosis that levels of IGFR1 or active IGFR1 are too low could be used for treatment with activating anti-IGFR1 antibodies, IGF-1, IGF-2 or other therapeutic agents for increasing IGFR1 levels or activity.

The antibodies of the present invention may also be used in vivo to localize tissues and organs that express IGFR1. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibodies can be used to localize IGFR1-expressing tumors. The advantage of the anti-IGFR1 antibodies of the present invention is that they will not generate an immune response upon administration. The method comprises the steps of administering an anti-IGFR1 antibody or a pharmaceutical composition thereof to a patient in need of such a diagnostic test and subjecting the patient to imaging analysis to determine the location of the IGFR1-expressing tissues. Imaging analysis is well known in the medical art, and includes, without limitation, x-ray analysis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). In another embodiment of the method, a biopsy is obtained from the patient to determine whether the tissue of interest expresses IGFR1 rather than subjecting the patient to imaging analysis. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibodies may be labeled with a detectable agent that can be imaged in a patient. For example, the antibody may be labeled with a contrast agent, such as barium, which can be used for x-ray analysis, or a magnetic contrast agent, such as a gadolinium chelate, which can be used for MRI or CE. Other labeling agents include, without limitation, radioisotopes, such as ⁹⁹Tc. In another embodiment, the anti-IGFR1 antibody will be unlabeled and will be imaged by administering a secondary antibody or other molecule that is detectable and that can bind the anti-IGFR1 antibody.

EXAMPLES

The following examples are provided to further describe the present invention and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Example 1 Construction of Fully Human Anti-IGFR1 Antibodies

1.0. Introduction.

Fully human monoclonal antibodies specific for human insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGFR1) were generated from HuMab mice of the Hco7 genotype (see below), immunized with recombinant sIGFR1 and IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells. A detailed description of Hco7 mice is provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,806; 5,569,825; 5,625,126; 5,633,425; 5,661,016; 5,770,429; 5,789,650; 5,814,318; 5,874,299 and 5,877,397 and in Harding, et al., (11995) Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 764:536-546. Antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 were isolated from a HuMab mouse (referred to herein as #23716) which was selected for fusion based on the presence of antigen specific serum IgG titers of 25,600 to the immunizing antigen. The 1H3, 15H12 and 19D121 antibodies were found to bind IGFR1.

2.0 Materials and Methods and Results.

2.1. Antigen.

-   -   2.1.1. Mice were immunized with two forms of antigen: (1) live         cells (IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells) and (2) purified protein         (sIGFR1; an NSO-expressed recombinant protein encompassing the         α-subunit and the extracellular domain of the β-subunit of         IGFR1). The biologically active version of this protein is in         glycosylated form.     -   2.1.2. Three immunizations with soluble IGFR1 antigen and final         tail vein boosts were performed with a purified IGFR1         preparation at a concentration of 2.67 mg/ml, Soluble IGFR1 was         mixed with either complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (CFA         and IFA) and mice were injected with 0.2 cc (cubic centimeters)         prepared antigen into the intraperitoneal cavity. Final tail         vein immunizations were performed with soluble IGFR1 in sterile         PBS (phosphate buffer saline).     -   2.1.3. Immunizations were also performed with HEK293 cells         transfected with IGFR1 DNA. Specifically, each mouse was         immunized, by injection into the intraperitoneal cavity, with         0.2 cc of sterile saline containing 1.0-2.0×10⁷ HEK293 cells         expressing IGFR1.

2.2. Transgenic Mice.

-   -   2.2.1. Mice were housed in filter cages and were evaluated to be         in good physical condition at the time of immunization, at the         time of the bleeds and on the day fusions were produced.     -   2.2.2. The mouse that produced the selected hybridomas was a         male (mouse ID #23716) of the (CM D)++; (Hco7) 11952+; (JKD)++;         (KCo5) 9272+ genotype. Individual transgene designations are in         parentheses, followed by line numbers for randomly integrated         transgenes. The symbols ++ and + indicate homozygous or         hemizygous; however, because the mice are routinely screened         using a PCR-based assay that does not allow us to distinguish         between heterozygosity and homozygosity for the randomly         integrated human Ig transgenes, a + designation may be given to         mice that are actually homozygous for these elements.

2.3. Immunization Procedure and Schedule.

-   -   2.3.1. The immunization schedule is shown in the following         table.

TABLE 2 Mouse immunization schedule. Immunization: Day adjuvant, antigen Bleed and Titer¹ Day 1 1.0 × 10⁷ live IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells in saline Day 15 CFA adjuvant, sIGFR1 (20 μg) Day 29 1.0 × 10⁷ live IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells in saline Day 37 antibody titer measured Day 43 IFA adjuvant, sIGFR1 (~40 μg) Day 54 antibody titer measured Day 57 1.0 × 10⁷ live IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells in saline Day 96 1.0 × 10⁷ live IGFR1 transfected HEK293 cells in saline Day 103 antibody titer measured Day 112 CFA adjuvant, sIGFR1 (20 μg) Day 126 antibody titer measured Days 128 Final tail vein intravenous and 129 boosts with sIGFR1² ¹Titer information is shown below. ²Fusions were performed on day 131.

TABLE 3 Titers of IGFR1 specific antibody during the immunization period of mouse 23716 described in Table 2 (see above). Day Titer 37 100 54 800 103 6400 126 25600

2.4. Hybridoma Preparation and Testing.

-   -   2.4.1. The SP2/0-AG14 myeloma cell line (ATCC CRL 1581) was used         for the fusions. The original ATCC vial was thawed and expanded         in culture, A seed stock of frozen vials was prepared from this         expansion. Cells were maintained in culture for 6-8 weeks and         passed twice a week.     -   2.4.2. High Glucose DMEM containing 10% FBS,         Antibiotic-antimycotic (100×), and 0.1% L-glutamine was used to         culture myeloma cells. Additional media supplements were added         to the hybridoma growth media which included: 5%         Origen—Hybridoma Cloning Factor (Fischer Scientific; Suwanee,         Ga.), 4.5×10⁻⁴ M sodium Pyruvate, HAT 1.0×10⁻⁴ M Hypoxanthine,         4.0×10⁻⁷ M Aminopterin, 1.6×10⁻⁵ M Thymidine, or HT 1.0×10⁻⁴ M         Hypoxanthine, 1.6×10⁻⁵ M Thymidine; and characterized fetal         bovine serum.     -   2.4.3. The spleen from mouse number #23716 was normal in size         and yielded 5.73×10⁸ viable cells.     -   2.4.4. The splenocytes were fused according to the following         procedure:         -   1. Place approximately 10 ml of DMEM+10% FBS into a 50 mL             tube.         -   2. Sacrifice the intravenously boosted mouse.         -   3, Transfer the mouse into a hood onto a paper towel.         -   4. Soak the mouse with alcohol, and place onto its right             side-left side up.         -   5. Make a small cut into the skin above the spleen area.         -   6. Pull skin away from the mouse using both hands.         -   7. Soak with alcohol again.         -   8. Use sterile instruments to open the peritoneum.         -   9. Insert the scissor points under the spleen and open the             scissors so as to allow room to grasp the spleen with the             forceps.         -   10. Remove the spleen and place into the tube containing             DMEM+10% FBS. Transfer to a sterile tissue culture room.         -   11. Inside a sterile hood, add approximately 7 mL of DMEM             without serum to each of 2 sterile 60 mm culture dishes.         -   12. Transfer the spleen to the first dish.         -   13. Remove any adhesions from the spleen using sterile             instruments.         -   14. Place a sterile homogenizer base into a test tube rack             (for support).         -   15. Add the cleaned spleen into the homogenizer.         -   16, Add approximately 5 mL of DMEM and homogenize 4 passes.             Pour off into a sterile 50 mL centrifuge tube.         -   17. Add another 5-6 mL of DMEM into the homogenizer and make             another 3-4 additional passes.         -   18. Pour off into the same tube as described above.         -   19. Spin the cells at 1000 rpm for 10 minutes in a             centrifuge.         -   20. Remove the supernatant. Pour off and resuspend pellets             in DMEM.         -   21. Count the spleen cells.         -   22. Transfer appropriate volume of SP2/0 cells (6 spleen             cells per 1 cell of SP2/0) to a 50 mL centrifuge tube.             Record volume.         -   23. Adjust volume of spleen cells with DMEM for more             convenient balancing for centrifugation.         -   24. Spin cells for 10 minutes at 1000 rpm in a centrifuge.         -   25. Remove supernatants—pour off and resuspend pellets in             30-40 mL of DMEM wash medium (serum free). Combine all cells             in one tube.         -   26. Spin again as above.         -   27. Pour off supernatant and resuspend pellet.         -   28. Add approximately 1.2 mL of PEG (polyethylene glycol) at             about 1 minute while gently swirling the tube in a beaker             containing 37° C. water.         -   29. Let the tube sit for 90 seconds, then add 15 mL of DMEM             wash medium at 3 minutes.         -   30. Spin the tube as described above.         -   31. Remove the supernatant and resuspend the pellet gently,         -   32. Add approximately 10 mL of Hat medium to the tube.         -   33. Pipette cells into the full volume of HAT medium. Allow             the cells to sit for 30-60 minutes in an incubator before             plating.         -   34. Plate cells into 96 well culture plates, 200 Howell             (about 1×10⁷ cells per 96-well plate).         -   35. Feed cells on day 7 with HT media, 250 μl/well. (HT             media, same as HAT media, with Aminopterin removed)     -   2.4.5. An initial ELISA screen for human IgGκ antibodies was         performed 7-10 days post fusion according to the following         procedure:         -   1. Coat plate overnight with anti-hu-κ, 1 μg/mL or             anti-hu-γ, 1 μg/mL in 1×PBS, 50 μL/well. Store in             refrigerator.         -   2. Empty plate and block plate in 1×PBST (PBS with Tween)+5%             chicken serum for 1 hour at room temperature (100 μL/well).         -   3. Empty plate and wash manually with wash bottle (3×) or             plate washer (3×) using 1×PBST. If wash bottle used, drain             plates on paper towels.         -   4. Standards are used for testing production level of the             clones. Make dilutions with unknowns (1:10 in first well and             dilute 2 fold across plate). Hu-IgG standards start at 1000             ng/mL and dilute 2 fold across plate. Leave a few wells for             blanks: 1×PBST+5% chicken serum which is used for dilutions,             100 μL/well. Incubate at room temperature for 1 hour. Fusion             screens and subclones are generally tested diluted 1.2 in             blocking buffer. A positive control may also be used when             screening fusions and subclones.         -   5. Repeat wash step #3.         -   6. Dilute secondary antibody HRP (horse radish             peroxidase)-anti-hu IgG-Fc reagent 1.5000 or HRP-anti-hu-κ             in 1×PBST+5% chicken serum, add 100 μL/well. Incubate 1 hour             at room temperature.         -   7. Repeat wash step#3. (2×)         -   8. Develop plate using 10 ml citrate phosphate buffer pH4.0,             80 μL ABTS, 8 μL H₂0₂ per plate.         -   9. Incubate 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. Read             plate at OD_(415 nm-490 nm).             -   Solutions:             -   1×PBST-1×PBS+0.05% tween-20             -   Citrate phosphate buffer=21 gm/L citric acid, 14.2 gm/L                 disodium hydrogen phosphate (anhydrous); pH4.0             -   ABTS=27.8 mg/mL                 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)                 diammonium salt in citrate buffer, freeze 1 mL aliquots.             -   Plate=96 well assay plate.

A positive ELISA signal was detected in the wells corresponding to hybridomas 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12, demonstrating that these hybridomas produced human IgG antibodies.

-   -   2.4.6. Hybridoma supernatants corresponding to human IgGκ         positive wells were then screened on soluble IGFR1 coated ELISA         plates according to the following procedure:         -   1. Coat plate overnight with IGFR1 (1.0 μg/mL) in 1×PBS, 50             μL/well. Store in refrigerator. Five milliliters needed for             coating plate.         -   2. Empty plate and block plate in 1×PBST+5% chicken serum             for 1 hour at room temperature (100 μL/well).         -   3. Empty plate and wash manually with wash bottle (3×) or             plate washer (3×) using 1×PBST. If wash bottle used, drain             plates on paper towels.         -   4. Use blocking buffer as diluent. Test sera, beginning at             1:50 dilution in the top row of the plate and dilute 2             fold/row down the plate (7×). Incubate at room temperature 1             hour. For subclone screening, a 1:1 dilution of culture             supernatant in blocking buffer is used as starting material.         -   5. Repeat wash step #3.         -   6. Dilute secondary HRP-anti-hu IgG-κ specific and/or             HRP-anti-hu-κ reagent 1:2500-5000 in 1×PBST+5% chicken             serum, add 100 μL/well. Incubate 1 hour at room temperature.         -   7. Repeat wash step#3. (2×)         -   8. Develop plate using 10 mL citrate-phosphate buffer pH4.0,             80 μL ABTS, 8 μL H₂0₂ per plate.         -   9. Incubate 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. Read             plate at OD_(415 nm-490 nm). Consider twice above background             titer limit.

In these assays, hybridomas 15H12 and 19D12 produced a positive ELISA signal. These data demonstrate that the hybridomas produced antibodies which can bind to soluble IGFR1.

Antigen positive hybridomas were then transferred to 24 well plates, and eventually to tissue culture flasks. IGFR1 specific hybridomas were subcloned by limiting dilution to assure monoclonality. Antigen positive hybridomas were preserved at several stages in the development process by freezing cells in Origen DMSO freeze medium (Fischer Scientific; Suwanee, Ga.).

-   -   2.4.7. Antibody isotypes were determined according to the         following procedure:         -   1. Coat plate overnight in refrigerator at 1 μg/ml soluble             IGFR1 in 1×PBS, 50 μL/well. Empty plate.         -   2. Add 1×PBST+5% chicken serum for 1 hour at room             temperature. (100 μL/well). Empty plate.         -   3. Use blocking buffer as a diluent, add supernatant or             purified material to be tested in 1 well per secondary             antibody to be tested-50 μL/well. Incubate for 90 minutes at             room temperature. Empty plate.         -   4. Empty plate and wash manually with wash bottle (3×) or             plate washer (3×) using 1×PBST. If wash bottle used, drain             plates on paper towels.         -   5. Using blocking buffer as a diluent, add secondary             antibodies:     -   HRP-anti-hu-gamma;     -   HRP-anti-hu kappa;     -   HRP-anti-human IgGI; or     -   HRP-anti-human IgG3     -   diluted 1:1000. Incubate for 45 minutes at room temperature.         Empty plate.         -   6. Repeat wash step #4 (3×).         -   7. Develop plate using 10 mL citrate-phosphate buffer pH4.0,             80 μL ABTS, 8 μL H₂0₂ per plate.         -   8. Incubate 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. Read             plate at OD_(415nm-490nm).

The data from these assays is shown, below, in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Isotype ELISA results*. γ κ γ1 γ3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 clone 1.903 1.003 0.064 0.813 I15H12 *Each number represents the magnitude of the ELISA signal observed for each secondary antibody.

-   -   These data demonstrate that antibody 15H12 is an IgG3κ antibody.         2.4.8. Hybridoma supernatants (1H3, 15H12 and 19D12) and MAB391         were also tested, in a fixed cell ELISA assay, for the ability         to directly bind cells expressing IGFR1. In the assay, MCF-7         cells or HEK293 cells transfected with IGFR1 DNA were used. The         assays were performed as follows:         -   1. Add 50 μg/well of a 20 μg/mL solution of Poly-L-lysine in             1×PBS to each well of a 96 well plate and incubate for 30             minutes at room temperature or overnight at 4° C. Empty             plate to remove Poly-L-lysine from the wells and allow to             dry at room temperature until use.         -   2. Wash live cells three times with 1×PBS by centrifugation             (1000 RPM/5 minutes). Adjust final cell concentration to             2×10⁶ cells per well in 1×PBS. Add 50 μL per well of this             cell suspension.         -   3. Spin cells 5 minutes at 2000 RPM. Empty buffer.         -   4. Add 50 μL/well of 0.5% ice cold glutaraldehyde in 1×PBS.             Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Empty plate.         -   5. Add 1×PBST+5% chicken serum and incubate for 1 hour at             room temperature (100 μL/well). Empty plate.         -   6. Wash plate gently using 1×PBST (2×). To avoid cell loss,             this step should be done manually in a container avoiding             any plate washers.         -   7. Using blocking buffer as a diluent, test culture             supernatant by adding 100 kg of a 1:1 dilution. Incubate 1             hour at room temperature.         -   8. Repeat step 6 (3×).         -   9. Dilute secondary HRP anti-hu IgG-Fc specific and/or HRP             anti-hu-κ, reagent 1:2500-5000 in 1×PBST+5% chicken serum,             add 100 μL/well. Incubate 1 hour at room temperature.         -   10. Repeat step 6 (3×).         -   11. Develop plate using 10 ml citrate-phosphate buffer             pH4.0, 80 μL, ABTS, 8 μL H₂0₂ per plate.         -   12. Incubate 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Read plate             at OD_(415nm-490nm).

The results from these assays demonstrated that hybridomas 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 produced an immunoglobulin which binds to HEK293 cells expressing IGFR1 and that hybridomas 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 produced an immunoglobulin which binds to MCF-7 cells which express endogenous IGFR1. Additionally, the results demonstrated that MAB391 bound to IGFR1 expressing HEK293 cells and to MCF-7 cells.

-   -   2.4.9. The ability of hybridoma supernatants (1H3, 15H12 and         19D12) to block binding of IGF1 to IGFR1 was evaluated by         measuring 1) staining intensity of the supernatant on IGFR1         expressing HEK293 cells and on MCF7 cells and 2) the ability of         the supernatants to block binding of IGF1-biotin to IGFR1         expressing cells. Initially, biotinylated IGF1 was titrated on         IGFR1 expressing HEK293 cells in order to establish the proper         concentration to evaluate blocking of IGF1 binding to its         receptor by the antibodies of the present invention. This was         done by the following procedure:         -   1. IGFR1 expressing HEK293 cells are harvested from a flask             by slapping the flask to loosen the cells which were pipeted             in to a conical tube. The cells are then centrifuged at             300×g for 5 minutes to pellet the cells. The medium is then             aspirated.         -   2. The cells are washed in 10-20 mL PBS containing 0.02%             sodium azide and resuspended in the same buffer at             approximately 2.5×10⁶ cells/mL (±10⁶ cells). The cells are             aliquoted, 200 μL/well into a 96 well microtiter plate in             the same buffer at 4° C. The cells are pelleted and the             supernatant is aspirated.         -   3. The cells are stained by adding 50 μL/well serially             diluted IGF1-biotin in the same buffer, starting at a 1:5             dilution followed by 4-fold serial dilutions. The plate is             tapped or gently vortexed to ensure an even suspension of             cells are suspended. The cells are then incubated for 30             minutes at 4° C.         -   4. The cells are washed 3× by adding 150 μL buffer for the             first wash and then pelleted. The supernatant is aspirated             and 200 μL buffer is added. Again, the cells are pelleted             and the supernatant is aspirated; this wash step is repeated             once more. Streptavidin-PE (streptavidin-R-Phycoerythrin) is             added and the cells are incubated for 30 minutes at 4° C.         -   5. The cells are washed once in PBS containing 2% FBS and             0.02% azide and resuspended in the same buffer except             containing also 50 μg/mL propidium iodide to exclude dead             cells.         -   6. The cells are analyzed by FACS.

The blocking assays were performed as follows:

-   -   1. Harvest MCF7 cells or HEK293/IGFR1 cells from a tissue         culture flask by slapping the flask sides to loosen the cells.         Pipet the cells into a conical tube. Centrifuge the tube for 5         minutes at 300×g to pellet the cells. Aspirate the medium.     -   2. Wash the cells in 10-20 mL PBS containing 2% FBS and 0.02%         sodium azide (PFA), and resuspend in the same buffer at         approximately 2.5×10⁶ (±1×10⁶). Aliquot 200 μL/well into a 96         well microtiter plate in the same buffer at 4° C. Pellet the         cells and aspirate the buffer.     -   3. Stain the cells with each IGFR1 hybridoma supernatant by         adding 100 μL/well, including a medium (negative) control, and         MAB391 as a positive control. Tap the plate to ensure even         suspension of the cells. Incubate 30-60 minutes at 4° C.     -   4. Wash the cells 3 times in PFA by adding 100 μL buffer for the         first wash, pellet, aspirate, resuspend in 200 μL buffer,         pellet, aspirate, resuspend again in 200 μL buffer, divide each         sample into two wells and pellet.     -   5. To one set of wells, add anti-human IgG-FITC diluted 1:100 in         PFA (para-formaldehyde) to the supernatant stained samples and         the medium control, and anti-mouse IgG-FITC at 1:200 to the         MAB391 stained samples, again ensuring even dispersal of the         cells (staining assay). Incubate for 30 minutes at 4° C.     -   6. To the second set of wells, add IGF1-biotin diluted 1:500 in         PBS containing 0.02% azide (no FBS) and incubate for 30 minutes         at 4° C. Wash the cells 3 times as described in step 4 (but         without dividing the sample). Stain these cells by adding         streptavidin-PE (streptavidin-R-Phycoerythrinn) in PFA (blocking         assay). Incubate for 30 minutes at 4° C.     -   7. Wash all the samples once in PFA, and resuspend in the same         buffer except containing also 50 μg/mL propidium iodide to         exclude dead cells.     -   8. Analyze by FACS analysis.

The results from these blocking assays demonstrated that the supernatants from hybridomas 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 block binding of biotinylated IGF1 to IGFR1, stain MCF7 cells which express endogenous IGFR1 and stain HEK293 cells expressing IGFR1.

-   -   2.4.10. The ability of purified antibodies 1H3 and 15H12 to         block binding of biotinylated IGF1 to IGFR1 in an ELISA assay         and of antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 to block binding of         biotinylated MAB391 to IGFR1 in an ELISA assay was also         evaluated according to the following procedure.         -   1. Coat plate overnight in a refrigerator with 1 μg/mL             soluble IGFR1 in 1×PBS-50 μL/well.         -   2. Add 1×PBST+5% chicken serum for 1 hour at room             temperature-100 μL/well. Empty plate.         -   3. Wash plate 3× with wash buffer (1×PBS+0.05% tween-20).             Slap plate dry.         -   4. 2 μg/mL 1H3, 15H12 or 19D12 or positive or negative             control antibodies are diluted in blocking buffer across the             plate. The plates are incubated at room temperature for 1             hour.         -   5. Wash plates 3× in wash buffer.         -   6. Biotin-IGF1 or Biotin-MAB391 is added-50 μL/well- and             incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature.         -   7. Wash plate 3×         -   8. Add 100 μL/well of streptavidin labeled alkaline             phosphatase or horse radish peroxidase, incubate for 30             minutes at room temperature.         -   9. Wash plate 3×. Develop with appropriate reagent depending             on the label used.         -   10. Read after 10-15 minutes.

MAB391 was biotinylated according to the following procedure:

-   -   1. Prepare MAB391 in PBS buffer (dialyze or use desalting column         to remove unwanted buffers such as Tris or glycine).     -   2. Prepare a fresh stock solution of Sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin         solution just before use. Add 2.0 mg of Sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin to         200 □L distilled water. Add this reagent to MAB391 at a 12-fold         molar excess if working with a 10 mg/mL solution of MAB391 or a         20-fold molar excess when working with a dilute preparation of         MAB391 (2 mg/mL).     -   3. Calculation: mmoles MAB391=mg protein/150.000 mmoles×12 or         20=mmoles biotin reagent to add mmoles biotin to add×556=mg         biotin reagent to add     -   For 1 mg/mL:     -   1/150000=6.6×10⁻⁶     -   20×6.6×10⁻⁶ mmoles= 1/32×10⁻⁴ NHS-LC-biotin     -   1.32×10⁻⁴×556=0.073 mg sulfo NHS-LC-biotin     -   From the stock NHS-LC-biotin solution, use 10 μL (100 μg) of         solution per mg IgG for 1 or 2 mg.     -   4. Incubate for 2 hours on ice or for 30 minutes at room         temperature. Dialyze against PBS or use desalting column to         remove unreacted biotin reagent. Store at 4° C. in PBS 0.1%         sodium azide.

In general 3-5 biotins should be added to each IgG molecule labeled.

The results from these blocking assays demonstrated that antibodies 1H3 and 15H12 blocks binding of biotinylated IGF1 to sIGFR1 and that antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 block biotinylated MAB391 binding to sIGFR1

-   -   2.4.10 Binding between IGFR1 and the 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12         antibodies was evaluated in a BIAcore/surface plasmon resonance         assay according to the following procedure:         -   1. IGFR1 is immobilized on a CM-5 chip by amine coupling, to             a level of 350.4 response units on flow cells. The             concentration of IGFR1 which is used to immobilize is 2.5             μg/mL in sodium acetate buffer and the protein is             immobilized at pH 3.5.         -   2. Antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 are purified from             hybridoma supernatants over a Protein-A or Protein-G column             and tested for purity by SDS-PAGE analysis (4%-12%             Tris-Glycine).         -   3. The antibodies are made to flow over the IGFR1 surface             prepared above.         -   4. The concentration range of antibodies used is 4, 2, 1,             0.5 and 0.25 μg/mL. A blank is also used for background             substitution. Samples are prepared in HBS buffer.         -   5. Injection time (association phase) is 10 minutes, at a             flow rate of 20 μL/minute, dissociation time (dissociation             phase) is 1 hour at the same flow rate.         -   6. The assays are run at both 25° C. and 37° C. All             experiments are done in duplicate.         -   7. Data analysis is carried out using Bia-Evaluation             software v.3.0.2 (Biacore, Inc, Piscataway, N.J.).         -   8. All experiments are carried out using a Biacore 3000             surface plasmon resonance instrument (Biacore, Inc;             Piscataway, N.J.).

The results for these assays demonstrated that antibodies 15H₁₂ and 19D12 associate with IGFR1 at 25° C. and at 37° C. and that antibody 1H3 associates with IGFR1 at 25° C. The data from these experiments were also used to calculate the affinity and rate constants of 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 binding to IGFR1 (see Table 5, below).

TABLE 5 Affinity and rate constants of antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 with IGFR1. Sample Assoc. Dissoc. Half-life Temp. Antibody size time (min.) time (min.) k_(on) (1/Ms) k_(off) (1/s) K_(D) (M) (min.) ^(#) 25° C. 15H12 2 10 60 5.0 × 10⁵ 2.24 × 10⁻⁵ 4.48 × 10⁻¹¹ 515.73 25° C. 19D12 2 10 60 4.0 × 10⁵ 2.65 × 10⁻⁵ 5.92 × 10⁻¹¹ 435.94 25° C. 1H3 2 10 60 0.7 × 10⁵ 6.50 × 10⁻⁵   86 × 10⁻¹¹ 177.73 37° C. 15H12 2 10 60 7.2 × 10⁵ 4.01 × 10⁻⁵ 5.57 × 10⁻¹¹ 288.09 37° C. 19D12 2 10 60 6.8 × 10⁵ 4.93 × 10⁻⁵ 7.22 × 10⁻¹¹ 234.33 ^(#) Calculated as Half life = ln(2/k_(off))

Example 2 Cell Based Receptor Binding Assay

A cell based receptor binding assay was used to determine if antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 competed with IGF1 for binding to IGFR1.

In the assays, 96 well filter plates (1.2 μm pore) were pre-wet with 0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA)/PBS for 2 hours at 4° C. The buffer was then removed with a vacuum manifold. Various concentrations of 6× control or test antibody (1H3, 15H12 or 19D12) were added to the wells (25 μL). The [¹²⁵I]-IGF-1 ligand was then added to the wells at a final concentration of 0.375 nM in BSA/PBS. Cells were harvested with cell dissociation solution, counted with trypan blue, and resuspended in 0.5% BSA/PBS to a cell number of 1-3×10⁵/ml. One hundred μl of cells (10,000-30,000) were added to each well. The plate was shaken at 4° C. for 1 hour. The plate was then aspirated and washed three times with ice cold PBS using a vacuum manifold. The filters were punched out and counted on a gamma counter. Data were analyzed for competitive binding.

The results of these experiments indicated that 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 were capable of competing with IGF-I for binding to IGFR1.

Example 3 IGFR1 Autophosphorylation Assay

The ability of 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 to inhibit IGFR1 autophosphorylation was also determined.

Antibodies (1H3, 15H12 or 19D12) were added to cells bearing IGFR1 for various lengths of times. Cells were then stimulated with 10 ng/ml IGF-I for 5 min at 37° C. Cells were washed twice with cold PBS containing 0.1 mM sodium vanadate and lysed in lysis buffer (50 mM HEPES, pH7.4, 150 mM NaCl, 10% glycerol, 1% Triton X-100, 1.5 μM MgCl₂, protease inhibitors and 2 mM sodium vanadate). Lysates were incubated on ice for 30 min and then centrifuged at 13,000 RPM for 10 min at 4° C. Protein concentrations of the lysates were measured by a Coomassie colorimetric assay, and subjected to immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis.

The results of these assays indicated that antibodies 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 inhibited IGFR1 autophosphorylation with an IC₅₀ of 0.10 nM.

Example 4 Anchorage-Independent Growth (Soft Agar) Assay

The ability of an anti-IGFR1 antibodies 1H3, 15H12, 19D12 and MAB391 to inhibit anchorage-independent growth of various cells, including human breast cancer cell line MCF7, human colorectal cancer cell HT29 and human prostatic cancer cell DU145, was evaluated.

In these experiments, three milliliters of 0.6% agarose in complete MEM medium were added to each well of 6 well tissue culture plates and allowed to solidify (bottom layer). One hundred microliters of antibody 1H3, 15H12, 19D12 or MAB391 (discussed above), at various concentrations, was added to culture tubes. Cells were harvested. Aliquots of the cells (15,000 cells) were added to the culture tubes containing the antibody and incubated at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Three milliliters of a 0.35% agarose/complete minimal essential media (MEM) layer (top layer) were added to the antibody/cell mixture and then plated onto the solidified bottom layer. The top layer was allowed to solidify. The plates were then incubated for three weeks. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-Thiazolyl)-2,5-Diphenyl-2H-Tetrazolium Bromide) was added to the wells and incubated for 1-2 hours. The plates were scanned and the colonies counted and analyzed using a customized colony counter application program.

The results of these experiments demonstrated that an anti-IGFR1 antibody can inhibit anchorage-independent growth of all three malignant cell lines tested.

Example 5 Cloning of the Variable Regions of an Antibody from Hybridomas

Nucleic acids encoding the 1H3, 15H12 and 19D12 variable regions were obtained from hybridomas according to the following procedure.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) from 2×10⁶ hybridoma cells was prepared by using a Micro-Fast Track™ kit (Invitrogen; Carlsbad, Calif.). Cellular DNA (cDNA) encoding the variable region was prepared according the procedure described in “cDNA Cycle” kit (Invitrogen; Carlsbad, Calif.).

The antibody variable regions were PCR amplified using the cDNA as a template using 5′RACE (Clotech; Palo Alto, Calif.) technology. The following 3′primer sequence was used to amplify the heavy chain: 5′-TGCCAGGGGGAAGACCGATGG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 22) and following 3′primer sequence was used to amplify the light chain: 5′-CGGGAAGATGAAGACAGATG-3′ (SEQ ID NO:23). Additionally, 5′-RACE PCR primers (Clotech; Palo Alto, Calif.) were used in each amplification.

The PCR reaction mixture included 2.5 units of Pfu I polymerase in its appropriate buffer (Stratagene™; La Joola, Calif.), 0.2 mM of each dNTP, 750 nM of each 5′ and 3′ primer and cDNA template. Total reaction volume was 50 μl. The following PCR cycling program was performed using a thermocycler:

 1X 94° C., 2 min. 10X 94° C., 45 sec. 65° C., 45 sec. Minus 1° C. per cycle 72° C., 1 min. 25X 94° C., 45 sec. 55° C., 45 sec. 72° C., 1 min.  1X 72° C., 15 min.

The resulting PCR amplification product was inserted into the Zero Blunt™ TOPO™ PCR cloning vector (Invitrogen; Carlsbad, Calif.). The identity of the insert was verified by restriction enzyme analysis and then the nucleotide sequence of the insert was obtained by sequencing.

Example 6 Recombinant Expression of Antibody Chains

In this example, nucleic acids encoding various anti-IGFR1 antibody chains of the present invention were used to transfect a dhfr⁻ mammalian cell line (CHO-DXB11) wherein the chains were expressed. Transient transfections were carried out by cotransfection of the cell line with various combinations of one heavy (γ1 or γ4) and one light (κ) chain plasmid, selected from plasmids 1-11, listed below. Construction of stable cell lines was performed by transfection by a single plasmid, either 12 or 13, listed below, as follows. The nucleic acids were located in a single plasmid and were operably linked to cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoters. The plasmids also contained DHFR cDNA operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR) which was used for plasmid amplification. The plasmid further included the hygromycin B gene operably linked to the TK promoter for selection in mammalian cells.

Below is a description of the promoter-expression cassette in the 3 plasmids which were constructed. The indicated plasmids (2-4 and 8-11) were deposited, under the Budapest Treaty, on May 21, 2003 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC); 10801 University Boulevard; Manassas, Va. 20110-2209 under the indicated name and accession number:

-   (1) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HC (γ4)

Insert Sequence, SEQ ID NO: 3;

-   (2) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCA (γ4)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCA (γ4)”

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5214

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 44;

-   (3) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCB (γ4)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCB (γ4)”

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5215

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 111;

-   (4) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCA (γ1)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 HCA (γ1)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5216

Insert Sequence. SEQ ID NO: 44;

-   (5) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LC (κ)

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 1;

-   (6) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCA (κ)

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 40;

-   (7) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCB (κ)

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 42;

-   (8) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCC (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCC (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5217

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 71:

-   (9) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCD (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCD (κ)”;

ATCC accession No. PTA-5218

Insert Sequence: SEQ ID NO: 73;

-   (10) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCE (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCE (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5219

Insert Sequence. SEQ ID NO: 75;

-   (11) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 LCF (κ)—

Deposit name: “15H12/19D12 LCF (κ)”;

ATCC accession No.: PTA-5220

Insert Sequence. SEQ ID NO: 77;

-   (12) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HC (γ4) and CMV promoter-15H12/19D12     LC (κ); -   (13) CMV promoter-15H12/19D12 HCA (γ1) and CMV promoter-15H12/19D12     LC (κ)

All restrictions on access to the plasmids deposited in ATCC have been removed.

The 3′ end of each cassette was linked to a beta-globin poly A signal. The variable chains which were expressed were linked to the constant region indicated in parentheses (i.e., γ1, γ4 or κ). Analysis of the transfected cell lines containing each plasmid indicated that the corresponding antibody chain polypeptides were expressed (amino acid sequences of the expression products not confirmed).

Each of the above-referenced plasmids constitutes part of the present invention. Further, the nucleic acid located within each expression cassette, along with the immunoglobulin variable region therein, along with the mature, processed version thereof (i.e., lacking the signal sequence), particularly, SEQ ID NO: 44, mature HCA (nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO: 44), SEQ ID NO: 111, mature HCB (nucleotides 58-411 of SEQ ID NO: 111), SEQ ID NO: 71, mature LCC (nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 71), SEQ ID NO: 73, mature LCD (nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO. 73), SEQ ID NO: 75, mature LCD (nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 75), SEQ ID NO: 77 or mature LCF (nucleotides 58-384 of SEQ ID NO: 77), optionally including an immunoglobulin constant region, along with any polypeptide encoded by any of the foregoing nucleic acids, including mature or unprocessed chains, optionally including an immunoglobulin constant region is a part of the present invention. Moreover, any antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising one of the encoded polypeptides is part of the present invention.

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the accompanying figures. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Patents, patent applications, Genbank Accession Numbers and publications are cited throughout this application, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 

1. A method for producing a polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; comprising introducing a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide into a host cell under conditions wherein said polypeptide is produced in said host cell.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the host cell is a eukaryotic cell.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said host cell is Chinese hamster ovary cell.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the host cell is a fungal cell.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said polypeptide is isolated from said cell.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide is operably associated with a CMV promoter.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is in a vector.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the vector comprises a DHFR gene.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the DHFR gene is operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat promoter.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the vector comprises a hygromycin B gene.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the hygromycin B gene is operably linked to a TK promoter.
 12. The method of claim 1 for producing a polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45; comprising introducing a vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide, operably linked to a CMV promoter, into a Chinese hamster ovary cell under conditions wherein said polypeptide is produced in said host cell and isolating said polypeptide.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the vector comprises a DHFR gene.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the DHFR gene is operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat promoter.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein the vector comprises a hygromycin B gene.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the hygromycin B gene is operably linked to a TK promoter.
 17. The method of claim 1 further comprising producing a polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78; comprising introducing a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 into a host cell under conditions wherein said polypeptide is produced in said host cell.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the host cell is a eukaryotic cell.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said host cell is Chinese hamster ovary cell.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein the host cell is a fungal cell.
 21. The method of claim 17 wherein said polypeptide is isolated from said cell.
 22. The method of claim 17 wherein the polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 is operably associated with a CMV promoter.
 23. The method of claim 17 wherein the polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 is in a vector.
 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the vector comprises a DHFR gene.
 25. The method of claim 24 wherein the DHFR gene is operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat promoter.
 26. The method of claim 23 wherein the vector comprises a hygromycin B gene.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the hygromycin B gene is operably linked to a TK promoter.
 28. The method of claim 17 comprising introducing one or more vectors comprising one or more polynucleotides encoding said polypeptides, each operably linked to a CMV promoter, into a Chinese hamster ovary cell under conditions wherein said polypeptides are produced in said host cell and isolating said polypeptides.
 29. The method of claim 28 wherein said one or more vectors comprises a DHFR gene.
 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the DHFR gene is operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat promoter.
 31. The method of claim 28 wherein said one or more vectors comprises a hygromycin B gene.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein the hygromycin B gene is operably linked to a TK promoter.
 33. The method of claim 28 wherein said one or more vectors comprises a DHFR gene operably linked to a mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat promoter; and a hygromycin B gene operably linked to a TK promoter.
 34. The method of claim 28 wherein the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant region and the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 is linked to a kappa light chain immunoglobulin constant region.
 35. The method of claim 34 further comprising combining said polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant region and said polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 linked to a kappa light chain immunoglobulin constant region with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier includes water, buffer and a sugar.
 37. The method of claim 1 wherein said polypeptide is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant chain.
 38. The method of claim 1 wherein the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 45. 39. The method of claim 38 wherein the polypeptide is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant chain.
 40. The method of claim 12 wherein the polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 45. 41. The method of claim 40 wherein the polypeptide is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant chain.
 42. The method of claim 17 wherein the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 45; and wherein the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 78. 43. The method of claim 42 wherein the polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 45 is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant chain; and wherein the polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 78 is linked to a kappa light chain immunoglobulin constant chain.
 44. The method of claim 28 wherein the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-137 of SEQ ID NO: 45 comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 45; and wherein the polypeptide comprising amino acids 20-128 of SEQ ID NO: 78 comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 78. 45. The method of claim 44 wherein the polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 45 is linked to a gamma-1 heavy chain immunoglobulin constant chain; and wherein the polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 78 is linked to a kappa light chain immunoglobulin constant chain. 